


Entangled

by ayesakara



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Romance, Threesome, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 04:58:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5078734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayesakara/pseuds/ayesakara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven and Tom accept a challenge to prove their friends wrong about Chakotay. But soon, they find themselves facing consequences they hadn't quite anticipated. Chakotay/Tom Paris/Seven of Nine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a story containing het NC-17 content. Written for the Die J/C Die contest Phase II. The term "multiples" was inspired by Britta's wonderful In Dreams series, as that is the only place I've read it used in this particular connotation.

**Entangled, Chapter 1**

 

For the Federation starship Voyager, life in the Delta Quadrant was filled with endless surprises at every turn. New species to seek out, new wonders to explore. New people, new anomalies, new secrets.

However, as was the case in every community's existence, there were stretches of time when for the valiant crew of the good starship too, the routine became too monotonous, too tedious, too boring to endure.

It was on one such monotonous, tedious, boring day, when a group of friends found themselves caught in the middle of a discussion they couldn't quite believe they were having.

 

 

"Irrelevant."

Harry Kim stared at Seven of Nine incredulously, his mouth dropping open at her declaration. "What do you mean... irrelevant?" He seemed flustered. "How can a relationship be irrelevant?"

Seven coolly raised one blonde brow and regarded her companion. "Anything that impedes the efficiency of a Collective is irrelevant and pursuing it would be a waste of precious time."

Harry huffed. "Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway..."

"Irrelevant."

"You know what..." Tom Paris broke in the middle of their discussion, sliding into the seat next to Harry. "...I couldn't agree more."

"What's up, Starfleet?" B'Elanna Torres asked as she joined the small group, taking the seat next to Tom.

Harry shook his head. "I can't believe this."

"Believe it, Har." Tom shrugged dismissively. "Seven tells the truth." He smiled at the ex-Borg who nodded at him in acknowledgement.

"Seven?" B'Elanna's tone shifted as she regarded her with her characteristic suspicion. "What is she saying now?" The engineer sounded bored.

Harry puffed up with affronted agitation. "She thinks Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway's relationship is irrelevant."

"What relationship?" B'Elanna asked.

"That was not what I said." Seven looked at Harry. "I simply said Ensign Kim's presumption of a romantic affiliation between Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay is irrelevant."

"You called the relationship irrelevant." Harry looked at Seven accusingly.

"What relationship?" Tom drawled.

"As I explained to Ensign Kim before..." Seven looked at her audience. "Any activity that has the potential of hindering the efficiency of the Collective is irrelevant to its interests and should be abandoned immediately. Observing the frequently divergent temperaments of the captain and the commander, it is logical to conclude that any potential association between them, other than their professional ties, would be detrimental to the workings of this crew, and should be curbed rather than encouraged."

"I can't believe this." B'Elanna looked at Seven incredulously.

"That's what I said." Harry slammed a fist on the table.

"I can't believe I am actually agreeing with something Seven's saying." B'Elanna said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Lieutenant Torres," Seven turned to the half-Klingon. "It's illogical of you to always assume the worst about my opinions. As engineers, we both look for perfection in every situation. It is inevitable that our viewpoints will coincide more often than you'd like to think."

"Yeah, illogical is what it sounds like." Tom grinned.

"Shut up, Flyboy!" B'Elanna snapped at him.

"Hey, what did I do?" He looked at her with wounded eyes.

"You know what." Harry scowled. "I don't think its right for us to say these things about the captain and the commander. It's their private lives. What right do we have to speculate about these things?"

B'Elanna narrowed her eyes at him. "Who started this conversation?"

Seven replied. "Ensign Kim did."

"Then shut up, Starfleet." B'Elanna growled at Harry.

"Ah, much better." Tom smiled.

"And what relationship are you talking about?" The half-Klingon bared her incisors at the ensign. "Chakotay's never been interested in the captain. The mere notion is preposterous."

"Yeah," Tom nodded. "Listen to her, Har."

"What are you, blind?" Harry sniffled. "It's very clear the commander is in love with the captain. Anyone with half a brain can see it."

"Then that's settled." Tom patted the table with his right hand emphatically.

"What?" B'Elanna turned to him.

"Everyone at this table, with the exception of Harry Kim, is endowed with a full brain." Tom smirked. "Hence we don't see any nonexistent relationship between Chakotay and the captain."

"Heh heh heh." B'Elanna chuckled. "That is quite funny, Flyboy."

"That is dumb, Tom." Harry pouted.

"This isn't dumb." Tom looked into his friend's eyes. "This is seeing things as they are. The captain is no more interested in Chakotay than he is interested in her."

"Oh yeah?" Harry gritted his teeth. "What about New Earth?"

"New Earth." Seven frowned.

"Ah Seven, this was before you came onboard." Tom looked at her. "The captain and the commander had to be left behind on a planet when they contacted a virus after being bitten by an indigenous insect."

"I am aware of the incident." Seven said. "Voyager was provided with a cure by Species 3568, the Vidiians, and the captain and the commander were subsequently rescued. I don't see the relevance of mentioning that incident in our current discussion."

"Of course it's relevant." Harry replied. "Everyone saw the looks Chakotay gave the captain after they were back on the ship. It was obvious he cared deeply for her."

"Caring deeply for her is one thing. Being in love with her is quite another." B'Elanna shook her head.

"Excuse me..."

"Oh no." The whole group, with the exception of Seven of Nine, groaned as they saw the ship's morale officer cum cook hurrying towards them excitedly.

"I couldn't help but listen to some of what you were discussing." Neelix appeared concerned.

"Neelix," B'Elanna snarled. "You should keep your damned ears un-perked from people's private discussions when you're in the galley, for Kahless' sake."

"I am sorry I didn't mean to intrude, B'Elanna." Neelix said, although he did not look apologetic. "I tried my best to pay attention to the Filvopian spices I was grinding for putting into the Tenkalli Mud Stew, but when I realized the importance of this topic, I couldn't help myself."

"Shit." Tom sighed.

"Shit isn't quite the right word, Tom." Neelix beamed at him. "Not when you're discussing the captain and the commander."

"What do you have to say, Neelix?" B'Elanna rolled her eyes.

"Neelix, this was supposed to be a private conversation. You can't talk about this to anyone." Harry looked particularly perturbed.

"No, of course not." Neelix frowned. "I recognize the sensitivity of the situation. In fact, I must congratulate you, Harry," he smiled at the ensign. "...on your ingeniously keen insight."

"Huh?" Tom stared at the morale officer.

"Huh isn't quite right either, Tom." Neelix shook his head at the pilot indulgently. "Now as I was saying to Harry... he's absolutely spot on, I must say."

"About the captain and the commander?" Harry looked at Neelix excitedly.

"Yes indeed." Neelix replied exuberantly.

"You mean you've also noticed how much they love each other." Harry looked overly pleased at this.

"Of course I have."

"This is ridiculous." B'Elanna grumbled.

"Preposterous." Tom huffed.

"Irrelevant." Seven lifted a brow in denial.

"You two have absolutely lost it." Tom slammed his hands on the table. "Chakotay isn't in love with the captain. I don't even think she's his type."

Harry stared at him. "Chakotay has a type?"

"Of course he does." Tom shook his head disbelievingly. "Everyone has a type."

"But I am absolutely sure that the captain loves him." Neelix stared at each of them.

"Oh, so now it isn't just Chakotay in love with the captain. Captain Janeway returns his love too?" B'Elanna snorted. "How do you know all this? Has the captain ever told you she loves him?"

"Well.....no."

"Then you have no proof." Tom folded his arms on his chest.

"And you have no proof that she isn't Chakotay's type." Neelix countered back.

"Well, we can gather proof." Tom leaned back in his seat.

"We can?" Harry looked at Tom.

"We can?" B'Elanna raised her brow.

"Of course, we can." Tom shrugged casually. "We can run a litmus test of sorts."

"Here we go." B'Elanna rolled her eyes again.

"Shush, B'Elanna." Tom frowned at her and then turned to the rest of the group. "It would be the "Woo the Mystic Warrior" test. If the big guy does not fall for whoever is wooing him, then we'd know that his legendary love for the captain is real. I already have the first candidate." Tom smirked. "Seven."

"Me." Seven looked at him incredulously.

"Kahless." B'Elanna threw her hands up in the air.

"That's right." Tom sighed. "You."

Harry grumbled. "That's ridiculous."

Neelix shook his head. "Preposterous."

Seven replied. "Irrelevant."

"Why, Seven," Tom looked at her in feigned shock. "You no longer think the potential union between the captain and the commander would be detrimental to the whole crew?"

"I do." Seven stared at him. "But I don't see why the commander will be interested in me. I have no experience in such matters."

"With Chakotay," Tom leaned close to her and declared. "You don't need experience. All you need is a little patience. Playing along with his stoic wise-man attitude. That and of course respecting his sentiments."

"Respecting his sentiments." B'Elanna looked at the pilot scathingly. "Yeah right. Of course, you don't need any experience, Seven," she growled. "Chakotay is kind and patient with insufferable idiots as well. I am sure even Flyboy can woo him."

"B'Elanna, I am not insulting the big guy. I am just..." Tom stopped in the middle of his sentence. "What did you say?"

"You, Tom." B'Elanna had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Or do you think he really does love the captain?"

"Of course not." Tom said.

"Then prove it." B'Elanna looked at him smugly

"I will." Tom stared into her eyes. "With Seven's help."

"I do not see how I can accomplish this feat." Seven looked between the two of them.

"What's the matter, Flyboy? Chicken?" B'Elanna taunted the pilot. "Think you can't budge the Mystic Warrior."

"Oh please." Tom drawled. "Chakotay is a piece of cake."

"You're all words, Tom." B'Elanna laughed at him.

"Exactly. All words." Neelix said. "I, on the other hand, will prove that Kathryn's adoration for Chakotay will come through and she will not let him fall for anyone else."

"Kathryn?" B'Elanna stared at the Talaxian.

"Oh, we're on first-name basis off-duty." Neelix replied, obviously extremely pleased with himself. "I've had many conversations with Kathryn and I know she's a passionate woman who is waiting for Commander Chakotay to return her silent protocol-inhibited affections for him, and sweep her up his big burly arms."

"That's so sad." Harry sighed.

"That's disgusting." B'Elanna wrinkled her nose.

"See, Seven?" Tom looked at the ex-drone. "Don't tell me you forgot your own words. Does detrimental to the crew ring any bells?"

"I haven't forgotten." Seven frowned. "I am just not sure..."

"Please, don't push Seven, Tom." B'Elanna shook her head, a knowing smile playing at the corner of her lips. "She's clearly not ready for this."

"Not ready." Seven stared at the half-Klingon.

"For accomplishing this feat, as you said yourself." B'Elanna shrugged at her. "Against Neelix."

"You think I will lose to Neelix." There was a slight tightening of the skin around Seven's mouth.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Seven." B'Elanna smiled sweetly at her. "We all realize you have no experience in these matters, and we understand."

For a moment, the blonde looked at the engineer unblinkingly, and then she tilted her head in pure Borg coolness and replied. "I've changed my mind."

Tom looked at her. "You have?"

"I am Borg." She looked into his blue eyes and then turned back to the group. "I take the challenge of wooing Commander Chakotay."

Harry frowned. "Uh oh."

"You do?" B'Elanna looked straight into her eyes.

"Yes." Seven replied. "Lieutenant Paris and I will prove to Neelix and Ensign Kim that Commander Chakotay is indeed not in love with the captain and make sure that the perfection of this crew's well-being isn't hampered in any way."

"We will?" Tom blinked.

"Don't be ridiculous. You can't prove something like this." Neelix cried.

"Your challenge is to prove that the captain isn't the commander's type." Seven looked at the pilot.

"Ah. I see." A slow smile broke on Tom's face. "And your challenge is to prove that the notion that the commander and the captain are an item is irrelevant."

Seven inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Indeed."

"I will prove you both wrong." Neelix huffed.

"Shut up, Neelix." B'Elanna smiled.

"I don't think this is a very good idea." Harry looked at the half-Klingon as they watched the group disperse.

"Just sit back and watch Starfleet." B'Elanna grinned. "I think this is going to be fun."

"But B'Elanna." Harry whined.

"Hey if anything goes wrong, we can always blame you." She looked at him with a satisfied look on her face. "After all, you started the discussion."

"Shit."

 

 

_**Three days later planet-side in an abandoned little corner of the Delta Quadrant** _

 

Ah, dirt, Chakotay sighed in contentment.

Acres upon acres of land left undisturbed and untainted for hundreds of years. And him... digging into the blessed grime with quite satisfaction, happy and content on this private little journey of exploration of long buried alien cultures.

Such joy!

He caught B'Elanna growling orders to her engineering crew on the open commlink a few thousand meters away and shook his head. He knew she was pissed off at being made to move from the last spot they'd picked for mining, but they had no choice. He had decided to simply let her deal with her frustrations any way she wanted to. If it meant she was going to chew out her subordinates' collective asses, so be it. As long as she and her cronies kept their mining tools far away from these buried treasures he'd found, he'd be happy.

In a way her exertion-induced hot temper was easier to handle than Kathryn Janeway's inexcusable cold indifference.

He couldn't believe the time he'd actually had to spend talking the captain out of mining at the archeological site.

It's an abandoned planet, Commander, so it hardly makes any difference what we do here, she'd said coolly.

Abandoned my foot, he'd felt like yelling. It had been someone's home, for Spirits sake.

Instead, he'd taken a deep breath and patiently explained to her that if they were in the Alpha Quadrant, a find like this would be duly noted down in the Federation's archeological database and the site listed on the excavation watch list. A mining operation for digging out minerals that could very well be found on the next planet listed on the Astrometrics sensors would certainly not go down all that well with the archeology gurus on Earth.

With a few more sensor sweeps, he said, they could easily find another suitable mining spot that wouldn't disturb the dig. Although, he had to admit he was puzzled about why the Astrometrics sensors hadn't detected the archeological site when Voyager had first assumed orbit, but he kept that misgiving to himself.

"Do what you want, Commander, just get the mining started without any further delay," had been Janeway's final admonishment before the commlink was severed.

This was 11.7 hours earlier. He'd finished his 'shift' with the mining crew approximately three hours ago and B'Elanna had been as pissed off then as she was now. He could very easily blame this on her Klingon temperament but knew his friend well enough to admit it had nothing to do with her genes and everything to do with her relentless quest for explicitness in everything she did for her engines. He also suspected she knew he was right but her inherent brusqueness would keep her from admitting that his instructions had in fact added to her quest for perfection.

Which reminded him of...

He turned around and frowned. Seven of Nine was studying a piece of rock a few meters away, her spine ramrod straight as she sat in the shade under the entrance of another cave, seemingly oblivious to everything else around her. He'd been surprised to find her and, oddly enough, Paris, and after a short while, even odder, a seemingly hesitant Harry Kim, following him to the dig after finishing off their own mining duties three hours ago. They'd said they just wanted to explore the site like him, and although he wasn't exactly sure when and how they'd developed this love for archeology he'd not said anything.

Heck, it was never too late for anyone to develop some mature useful interests, as far as he was concerned. Especially Tom Paris and young Harry Kim. Captain Proton was fun, all right, but it wasn't going to help anyone in the long run.

Gosh, just look at him now, Chakotay thought as he looked at Tom, sitting there panting under the burning hot sun, pouring water out of the canteen and over his sweaty blonde head.

Chakotay shook his head ruefully as he dug the medkit out of his backpack and carefully crawled out of the cave.

"Hey Paris, get under the shade before you get a heatstroke," he called out to his overheated companion as he walked over.

Like Chakotay, the pilot too had stripped down to his gray half-sleeve turtleneck--- but unlike Chakotay, his fair skin got sunburnt much faster and he already looked flushed with the extreme heat.

"Do you want me to shoot you or would you shoot yourself?" Chakotay smiled down at him, pointing to the anti-radiation hypospray in his hand.

Although, Chakotay noted, the pilot's physical state was more than disheveled under the burning sun, a mischievous glint still appeared in his blue eyes as his lips quirked into an answering smile. "Ah, I think I want to be deemed a martyr rather than a suicidal loser." Tom grinned. "So I guess that means you shoot me."

Chakotay chuckled and bent down to administer the shot. His fingers brushed Tom's heated skin and he grimaced at the temperature, as the hypo hissed its contents into the sweaty neck.

"Inside the cave! Now!" He ordered Paris. "This planet has a very long day, Tom. You're supposed to be careful about the heat."

"Got it." The pilot said, collecting his equipment and promptly following Chakotay into the second cave where Seven and Harry were digging.

The First Officer noticed the ex-drone was now examining the same piece of rock with a tricorder, the expression on her face intense with concentration.

Chakotay got down on his haunches beside her. "What did you find?"

She looked up from her readings, her one brow rising up in her usual concise gesture. "Approximately sixteen million microbes of three thousand nine hundred and fifty-six known and fourteen thousand six hundred and twenty-five unknown varieties."

Chakotay couldn't help but smile at that. "A good find?"

"That depends on your assessment of the discovery." Seven replied.

"Mine?"

"Yes. I've ascertained that this is not merely a piece of rock. It perhaps held some sentimental value to the race that inhabited this planet as well."

"How so?"

In answer, Seven pressed what seemed like a pebble at the side of the rock and the rock... opened. It was a box made of a ceramic-like material, dusty and craggy from the outside, but the inside was fairly well preserved and the lid was engraved with intriguing alien symbols.

"This is beautiful," Chakotay felt awed, his eyes raking the intricate designs as he looked intently at the artifact.

"Take it." Seven held it out to him.

Chakotay quirked his eyebrow at her as he took it from her.

"As you once said yourself," Seven said. "You could be holding a piece of history, maybe even the beginnings of life itself."

Chakotay grinned at her. The retrieval of the Ares Four Mars Orbiter. Oh yes, he remembered their shared adventure very well. It was the quest that had involved him, Seven and Tom getting stranded inside the eclipse where they'd found the ancient module wholly intact, with everything inside, the astronaut included, carefully preserved in the vacuum of space.

It pleased him to note, as well as sending a trickle of contrition into his heart, that not every misgiving he'd harbored towards the ex-drone was seemingly realized.

"Why, Seven," he looked warmly at her. "I didn't know you actually remembered the things I said to you."

She seemed puzzled. "I am Borg. My Borg systems keep a record of all my memories and I am perfectly capable of retrieving..."

"Seven..." He heard Tom Paris laugh from behind them. "That was supposed to be a compliment."

"Oh." Her eyebrow quirked again.

And then she stared intently at the commander. "In that case," she stated, "you look very appealing in your body-contouring gray undershirt, Commander."

Chakotay almost dropped the artifact in surprise at her comment, as what he thought was the sound of Harry Kim choking at the back of the cave came to his ears.

"What?" Chakotay said, staring at the ex-drone, quickly recovering.

Seven looked at him calmly. "That was also... a compliment."

A large smile broke on his face at this. "My God." He shook his head, chuckling with amusement. "A Borg with a sense of humor," he grinned, setting the artifact back in front of Seven and crawling out of the cave. "That's all I need."

 

 

As the commander walked out of earshot, he missed Tom's delighted, "Oh Chak, you have no idea."

"You guys..." Harry sputtered. "You guys... are just..."

"Shut up, Harry."

 

 

_**Later that evening in Voyager's cargobay two** _

  

"Body contouring gray undershirt, huh?" Tom smiled, the feeling of giddiness from earlier still shrouding him in a fog of glee. "Nice going, Seven."

"Thank you." Seven stood at parade rest, her spine straight, her expression cool. "You on the other hand could've prompted the commander's concern for your wellbeing without actually threatening your health. This system's sun gives out radiation that is approximately thirty-five percent more intense than Earth's sun. You could've indeed suffered a heatstroke in the prolonged exposure."

"Hey, I knew exactly what I was doing." Tom shrugged. "Besides, there's no harm in giving a realistic performance every now and then, ya know."

"Very well." Seven inclined her head. "However, I will advise that you be more careful in the future, for your own sake."

"I will." Tom strolled over to a console, clicking on the display. "By the way--- nice job with the sensor jumbling. Harry has no idea why the ruins didn't show up on his sensors when he did an initial sweep of the planet."

"I was thorough in my assignment." Seven joined him at the console. "I was also careful to hide any traces of my manipulations. Nonetheless, I am not sure if such tactics would work as well in the future."

"Hey, it was only a chance we took." Tom scrolled through the duty assignments Chakotay had posted in the light of the schedule modified for the mining operations. "A shot in the dark, so to speak. We hide the archeological dig from the main sensors. Captain Janeway gives the order to do the mining. Chakotay finds the ruins when he leads the team down to the planet. He informs the captain and asks for the mining site to be shifted. The captain gets pissed off. They have an argument." He looked up at her, satisfied with his accomplishment. "A conjecture that actual came true."

Seven frowned. "Why the need to create a scenario where the commander and the captain will have an argument? I thought you didn't believe the two of them were interested in each other. Are you reassessing your viewpoint now?"

"No I am not. " He shook his head. "But... have you seen the dedication with which Neelix seems to be involved in this... exercise? Neelix on a mission is a scary thing, Seven."

Moreover, they'd made a bet, he thought. A bet to show their friends that their ridiculous claims about the captain and the commander were all wrong. Surely Chakotay was not in love with the captain. It was a matter of honor for him and Seven now to prove it anyway they could.

It was something else that Chakotay would probably kick his ass from here to the Alpha Quadrant if he ever found out he was being played with. But that was something Tom would deal with when and if it occurred.

Besides, it wasn't like they really meant to hurt him or anything.

"You think we will lose to Neelix?" Seven lifted one brow at him.

"I don't think we'll lose..." Tom stressed, "but... Seven, I heard him talking to Sam Wildman that he was growing some kind of coffee substitute in the hydroponics bay for the captain. He's desperate. He'll do anything he can to make sure he wins the bet."

Seven regarded him with what looked like amusement. "That means its time you deleted the program that has been scrambling all replicator orders for coffee and replacing it with the Klingon Blood wine for the past twenty-four hours."

He grinned. "I will. Just give me a few more days. I think with Neelix on a roll, the captain needs to be coffee-deprived for a little while more. For the sake of the crew's wellbeing."

"Very well."

 

 

_**The next evening at the transporter site planet-side** _

  

"Transporter Room 2. One to beam up."

Chakotay pulled his backpack with all his equipment over his shoulder as the familiar tingle of the transporter beam enveloped him. It was the same slightly disorienting sensation that everyone using the transporter felt for that one split second. When the sights and sounds of where he was shimmered and dimmed and he was plunged into a void, which was actually nothing more than his molecules' brief sojourn into the ship's transporter buffer, before the more familiar sights of Voyager's transporter room reappeared around him, and he was whole again.

God, he was tired to the bones. And oh so happy. The opportunity to study the ruins even for these brief two days had been wonderful. It was more than he could've possibly asked for in Voyager's situation.

They were breaking camp the next morning and Voyager was going to resume their journey back home. The mining operation had been very fruitful and they'd found everything they had hoped to find. B'Elanna's temper had finally vanished after her first attempt to use the deuterium her team had excavated had met with resounding success.

Kathryn Janeway, on the other hand, was still snapping at everyone around her, and Chakotay, for one, had been glad to be off the ship the last two days. He wondered if her temper had anything to do with some impending female middle age problems. He thought that perhaps he should ask the Doctor.

Now all he needed was a quick dinner and a long hot bath before he could crawl into his bed and off into oblivion for the night.

With that thought in mind, Chakotay stepped off the transporter platform and was about to walk out of the room when Ensign Mannus, the transporter operator on duty, interrupted him.

"Sir, there's a message for you." The young man looked at him nervously.

"From whom?" Chakotay asked.

"I'm not sure, Commander." The man fidgeted with some controls at his console. "It's encrypted."

Frowning, Chakotay walked over to the console as the ensign stepped away to give him room.

Urgent Message for Commander Chakotay, the console said. The message was encrypted and asked for his private authorization code to be opened.

"When did this appear?" Chakotay asked Mannus.

"The moment you materialized onboard, sir." The ensign replied.

This was strange. Chakotay punched in his code and the screen shifted, giving way to the hidden message.

Holodeck 2. The private timeslot for Commander Chakotay will begin at 2230 Hrs. Be there. You won't regret it.

Private timeslot? What the hell was going on?

Shaking his head, Chakotay closed the message and with a nod to the ensign, walked out of the transporter room. It was a prank, he was sure of it. A private timeslot in Holodeck 2. He felt like laughing. As if after a long tiring day at the planet, he'd come back covered with grime and instead of going into the shower would go to the holodeck. Someone with a really bad sense of humor had sent him this message, he decided. Someone who had no idea what it was like to be dirty, filthy and dead tired.

He stepped into the turbolift and ordered deck 3 as the destination.

Ah, off to home, he sighed.

But the lift didn't budge.

He frowned "Computer, status."

"Holodeck 2." The computer's female voice intoned. "The private timeslot for Commander Chakotay will begin at 2230 Hrs." There was a pause and then the mechanical voice continued, almost hesitantly. "Be there," it said. "You won't regret it."

Chakotay felt like shaking his head again. Okay. So it was someone with a bad sense of humor but with better technical skills than he would've given them credit for. He leaned back against the lift's back wall and pondered. Should he contact B'Elanna and tell her the turbolifts were acting up? Should he risk pissing her off yet again?

He decided not to. The engineering team had put in long hours at the mining site as well, and this seemed too trivial a matter to bother them with. Maybe he should just humor whoever was playing this little game with him. After all, joke or not, they seemed to have gone to some trouble as well.

"Computer, time?" he asked.

"The time is 2228 Hrs."

Ohhh-kay.

"Deck 6," he ordered.

The lift deposited him to his new destination without any further antics and he walked to the designated holodeck. The doors were locked and seemed answerable only to him. He entered his code. The holodeck doors opened and he stepped inside.

And for a moment, felt his breath caught in his throat.

The setting was exquisite. Low patches of what appeared to be a perpetual grassland surrounded him, protectively encircling the meadow he had stepped into. A cool pleasant subtropical breeze blew across the vast expanse of vegetation around him, delightfully stirring his hair and clothes. The scents of the multihued flowers and plants and the wet soil permeated his senses, instantly lifting his spirits. The time was close to dusk. The sun was setting behind the mountains his eyes could make out at the far reaches of the simulation, and a radiant reddish-blue light filtered through the light cloud covering, making his surroundings comfortably visible to his eyes.

He sighed. This was beautiful. Whoever had made this program had gone to considerable effort at touching the details of the simulation. The surroundings had a surreal, almost calming effect on his nerves. It couldn't be anything malicious, he thought. He hoped he wasn't reading this wrong.

"Computer, who created this program?" he asked.

"Unknown." The computer answered as he'd suspected. "The creation source code for this program has been encrypted."

Chakotay stepped up to the console beside the holodeck doors and punched in a search query with his command code, and sure enough his forays into the hunt were halted within a few seconds. Whoever had created this program had hidden his or her identity very deep into the computer code. He'd need more time to hack it.

With a weary sigh, he put his backpack down on the grass floor and turned around.

The setting was breathtaking. What could be the harm in exploring it further? With a shrug he toed off his uniform boots, bent down to pull his socks off, and then set off into the low grassland barefooted. The grass was cool and wet under his feet, feeling pleasant to his skin. The breeze was cool and scented, neither too brisk nor too slack, just nicely soft and silky against his face. As he turned around a tall leafy tree, he came to a halt with a gasp.

Facing him was a steaming bubbling hot water spring, roughly pentagon-shaped, and surrounded on two sides by low lying flowering shrubs and on three sides by rock ledges formed almost like stone stairs going conveniently down into the inviting water.

He noticed a low wooden bench at one side of the spring, and saw... clothes lying over it. Puzzled, he shuffled down next to the bench to inspect the contents and felt like snorting in amazement.

One long bathing robe on one side. A cool linen shirt in earthen shades on the other. Along with dark comfortable cotton slacks. Even underwear... made of the softest, most comfortable material he could've imagined. All apparently selected in his own size and perfectly laid out for his use.

He shook his head. No. Not a joke, it couldn't be a joke. Oh Spirits, he hoped it wasn't a joke.

He dipped his hand into the water and realized it was warm but only pleasantly so.

"Computer, how long is the timeslot for?" he suddenly asked.

"The program will end at 0230 Hrs."

He whistled. Four hours. Someone had really spent a lot of rations on this thing.

He stood up and stared at his surroundings. Although the reddish twilight brightness had now gotten dim with the passage of time, stars had become visible and the surroundings were still visible to his eyes.

"Computer, is there anyone else in this program." He asked, a strange anxious sensation filling him.

"Negative."

He felt like laughing. Of course, there was no one else in the program. What was he expecting? That his secret... what were they, entertainers?.... that his secret entertainers were hiding and watching the show? Get over yourself, Chakotay.

He once again scanned his surrounding and saw nothing but lush greenery stirring in the cool night. He stared down at the clothes lying on the bench, at the water steaming invitingly in front of him and thought, what the hell.

With the hastiness of a tired grime-covered man who'd spent his entire day in the midst of ancient dust and filth, and who simply couldn't resist wading into a hot steaming pool of water -which as truth would have it, he was- Chakotay stripped off his uniform, dropped it where he'd been standing, stepped down the ledge and into the water.

Ah, yes. The water was amazing. Hot and steamy and deliciously sweltering against his skin. He took a deep refreshing breath and dunked his head under water. He swam for a few moments, floating on his back, going under water, feeling his bone-weary tiredness slowly ebbing away. Oh, this was exquisite, he sighed happily. This was the best.

Suddenly he noticed something else lying over a high ledge at the far end of the spring, and steadily swam towards it. He laughed out loud when he realized that it was a tray, on top of which stood a long-stemmed glass of an enticing looking purple-orange drink, bejeweled with floating ice-cubes, and a large plate of different varieties of delectable hors d'oeuvres. Tempting daintily cut stuffed rolls. Exquisite vegetable tartlets. Small pizza squares decorated with olives and some delicious smelling sauce.

"I can't believe this," he whispered in awe, as he settled back on the ledge, the water, which was cooler in this part of the spring, coming up to his waist at this level, and reached for what looked like a stuffed mushroom from the plate. He delicately bit into the offering and felt his eyelids flutter close in pure joy. It was delicious. He couldn't believe someone had gone to all this trouble for him.

He drank from the glass and hummed in approval. A sweet spicy fruit cocktail, absolutely invigorating and delightful. Just what he needed.

He sat back against the ledge and felt a smile spreading on his face.

"Thank you," he called out softly in the cool night. "Whoever you are, thank you for everything." He looked down at his hands and then out at the beautiful serene surroundings and felt a strange lump forming in his throat. "I don't know why you've done all this. But I wish you hadn't hidden yourself from me. I wish I knew who you were."

For one fleeting moment, Chakotay felt a strange sadness filling him. He had been alone for so damn long. He ached for companionship. This attention, this kind of consideration that his secret host had bestowed upon him, he craved for it. It dismayed him to realize that even now when someone had felt the need to show him their courtesy, they didn't have the nerve to yet show him their identity.

He sighed. No. He wasn't going to wallow in this needless bout of melancholy. He was being treated by whoever had created this program. He wasn't going to ruin their effort by getting sad over things that were out of his control.

He nodded to himself in acknowledgement, as he drank more fruit cocktail and saluted the lush surroundings with his glass.

"Don't worry." He smiled. "I'll find you."

********


	2. Chapter 2

**Entangled, Chapter 2**

 

 

_**In Engineering the next day** _

  

"They're up to something."

Harry looked at B'Elanna. "What? These gravimetric relays?

She scowled. "Tom and Seven, you idiot."

"Oh, hell, how am I supposed to know what you're talking about?" Harry sighed.

It appeared B'Elanna had developed a chronic case of perpetual sulkiness, he groused silently. She seemed to be in a bad mood all the time these days.

"You should know." B'Elanna grated. "You haven't forgotten the bet, have you?"

Uh huh. Ever since they'd made that stupid bet.

"Of course not." Harry fiddled with the hyper-spanner in his hand. "Well, you're certainly right about Tom and Seven." he admitted. "They're playing some kind of a game all right."

B'Elanna looked at him. "With Chakotay, you mean."

"Who else?"

"If they hurt him, I'll break their legs." She growled.

"Cool down, Maquis." He tried to placate her. No use letting her erupt at a downtime now, was it? "I think Chakotay is even enjoying their attention."

"What attention?" She stared at him. "What's been going on?"

"I am not sure." Harry avoided looking into her eyes, instead focusing on the panel in front of him. "All I know is that Tom won a lotta rations off Carey three nights back and he's putting them to some good use."

And that was all he really knew, of course. Tom had been avoiding him as diligently as he sometimes avoided Neelix's leola root casserole.

"And Seven?" B'Elanna asked.

"She seems a bit laid back." He replied.

That was true as well. Describing the normal Seven of Nine as laid back was like calling Klingons delicate, or Ferengis altruistic, or Neelix subdued. But nothing seemed normal these days.

"Don't trust that cool facade, Starfleet." B'Elanna gritted her teeth. "She's all Borg. She's probably orchestrating this whole thing."

"Hey," Harry frowned, turning to face B'Elanna. "You're the one who pushed both of them to make the bet in the first place."

He was surprised to see regret fill his friend's brown eyes. She stared back at him in what appeared to be profound disappointment and then turned back to the console in front of her.

"I know," she whispered.

 

 

**_In the Astrometrics Lab two days later_ **

 

 "How widespread is their territory?" Captain Janeway asked, her tone brittle, her fingers punching the console mercilessly.

Seven looked at the older woman closely. If she wasn't reading things erroneously, the captain's agitation was as tangible now as it had been four days ago---if not more. She did not understand the reason for it. The factors affecting her previous irritation had been eliminated last night. It was illogical of her to continue to behave in the same manner in their absence.

Although, this wasn't the first time she'd seen the captain behave irrationally---and Seven knew those previous occasions had also appeared to have had no logical factors to contribute to her agitation.

Making certain no frown marred her cool calm demeanor, Seven focused on her task---the data the captain required.

"Approximately sixteen hundred million kilometers," she replied, deciding to be as thorough as possible. "If we are to take a detour around this sector, it would add twenty-eight months to our journey, but would provide significant opportunity for exploration of other intriguing spatial phenomena."

Of course, as with everything else these days, the captain didn't appreciate this thoroughness either.

"Who said anything about a detour?" Kathryn Janeway snapped, her face wrinkling with distaste. "Tom," she turned to the pilot, who stood on her other side. "Work with Seven to plot a course to the U'leadian home world. Our goal is to find the shortest distance through this territory and to hell with exploration."

Saying that, she turned around and stalked out of the lab.

"Yes, ma'am!" Tom drawled to no one.

Seven looked at her companion, feeling a frown finally form between her brows. "I am not convinced how efficient having an ill-tempered captain is for this crew."

"Hey, at least her replicator is fixed now." Tom shrugged. "It's not my fault B'Elanna took so long to send the maintenance crews to Deck 2."

Never mind the fact that it had been Tom himself, who had been the cause of the replicator's malfunction in the first place. With her own consent and help.

Seven found herself questioning her motives. In the last few days, she'd done a lot of things that were inefficient, and would've been considered unprofessional if reviewed by a superior. Though, she realized, it wasn't the official capacity of her misdemeanors that troubled her at this point.

"Lieutenant Torres had been overworked in Engineering." She looked at Tom. "Besides, I am not aware of the captain issuing an official complaint to maintenance."

"Really?" Tom Paris's tone was too casual. "That's strange. I wonder if it has anything to do with Neelix's repeated visits into her ready room." He kept his eyes on the console under his hands. "Although I find it hard to believe he thought he could keep her calm through only his pep talk."

She stared at him and slowly a new realization hit her. It seemed Captain Janeway wasn't the only one agitated. Tom Paris shared her condition as well. And unlike the captain, the pilot had a legitimate reason for his distraction.

At least a reason that Seven was aware of.

She decided it was inefficient of him to avoid this topic. She turned to face Tom fully.

"On the planet," she began, "at the ancient ruins, I was hasty in expressing my opinion."

"About what?" Tom seemed to have gone still.

"About Commander Chakotay looking appealing in his gray undershirt." She tried to keep her demeanor cool, but felt a strange quiver enter her voice. "He quite obviously looks far more enticing out of his undershirt, and out of the rest of his clothes as well."

"Shit, Seven." Tom seemed shaken, his face conflicted as he looked up into her eyes---not as if he were not expecting her to say this, but rather as if he knew she was going to and hoped she didn't. He stared at her gravely, his breathing slightly ragged. "You realize we intruded on his privacy that night."

Which was the sole factor that troubled her at this moment. Their actions regarding their bet about Commander Chakotay.

"I am aware of that." She tried to control her tone, keep her breathing normal. "However, that was not how you put it when we were observing him. You said we were just making sure the scenario was proceeding as we wanted it to."

He sighed, his eyes upset. "I know."

"I have troubled you." She said, knowing she was stating the obvious.

"The hell you have." He curled his fists with affronted distress. "This is only supposed to be a bet, remember?"

"Is it?" she asked. "Only a bet, that is?"

He turned to her then. "Of course it is." He stressed, looking into her eyes. "It has to be," he said, although he didn't seem sure at all. His blue eyes were filled with a distress she had never seen in them before.

A distress that had nothing to do with the official capacity of their actions. And everything to do with the man they had their complete focus on.

"Of course," she replied, feeling a strange despondency fill her bones.

 

 

**_Three days later_ **

  

Holodeck 2 again.

This time the message had come in Chakotay's quarters. The same words. The same time. And him in the same old state---worn out, fatigued.

The last couple days had gone by in such a blur that Chakotay had hardly had the time to even think of his last 'rendezvous'. For the past three days, Voyager had been busy engaging in diplomatic sessions with the U'leadians. A pleasant enough species, if Chakotay were to be honest with himself, endlessly thankful to Voyager for so cordially bequeathing them this very welcome visit---their words, not his. But he doubted Kathryn Janeway's plan to get permission to cross the U'leadians' territory and then swiftly dart their way through the compactly packed region was going to work in this scenario.

The U'leadians were a highly cultured race proud of their traditions. They loved playing hosts to anyone who was civilized enough to leave every notion of hostility behind and came forward to shake hands in friendship first. Also after spending time with their emissaries these last two days, he had found out that the U'leadians were in the course of celebrating a very special festival in the next few days, and it seemed Voyager had been invited to join in the festivities.

They didn't have any choice now but to go the Starfleet way and play perfect diplomats.

Chakotay would've thought Kathryn Janeway would be happy. After all, it was only a matter of days. Voyager was getting a sailing through a large region of space.

Her waspish attitude truly surprised him. One minute she'd be normal, the other she'd be snapping at him and anyone who had the gall to disagree with one of her directives. He was also sick and tired of Neelix taking his role of the Ambassador so strictly, and giddily setting up all of Chakotay's engagements with the U'leadians in such a way that he was tied up with the captain in all sessions. The snappish, frosty, bitter captain.

For a moment, he felt ashamed at his irritable, unreasonable bout of self-indulgence.

He was the first officer. It was his job to stay close to the captain, regardless of her swinging moods, his job to think of the crew and their goal and for the good of the Voyager family.

His job.

It was just that... when the captain was a cranky indifferent tyrant, when the crew was nurtured enough to take care of themselves at most downtimes, when the goal was sixty thousand light years away, and when there were times that the Voyager family he so cherished felt so fragmented that he felt he was alone on a ship full of strangers...

His job.

There were times he felt like snorting in disgust.

So here he was, in front of Holodeck 2 again. Only having enough time to grab a quick shower, his mind awhirl with conflicted thoughts that he pushed away forcefully. The long walk had at least given him the chance to calm his breathing, to create this semblance of serenity that he wore as a mask on his face. Could he hope that out of all those strangers, there was someone willing to close the distance, to remove the barriers, to once not think of the parameters and to try get to know him as a person---not just a first officer?

Taking a deep breath, Chakotay entered his code into the entrance panel and the holodeck doors swished open, letting him in.

For a second time in as many occasions, Chakotay felt his breath caught in his throat at entering the holodeck.

He was on a beach on an alien world, thronging with hundreds of exotic species of assorted races and genders. Chakotay turned around in a full circle, feeling dazzled, slowly taking account of everything around him as the holodeck exit slid shut and the arch vanished behind him. An imposing metropolis stood before him, the tall city buildings touching the purple alien skies in all their splendor---a place that was unfamiliar to him in its location but wasn't unlike many outposts that he'd visited when he was in Starfleet. He shook his head as he turned his attention back to the beach, feeling amused. His entertainers seemed to have an exhibitionistic streak, if the near-naked beauties lounging along the deep blue shore was anything to go by.

He'd worn soft sandals this time that he slipped off to feel the cool sand under his feet. His eyes on the clear blue water, he walked along the shore, hearing the sounds of the people playing games on the beach, of the children running into the water, of the indigenous oceanic wildlife shrieking with abandon, as they soared in the air.

"Commander Chakotay!!"

He jumped at hearing his name called and turned to the source. His eyes widened as he noticed a man and a woman coming his way. Eyes lighting first on the male, he noticed strapping long limbs, lustrous dark hair flowing over strong wide shoulders, and a rippling abdomen that turned Chakotay's mouth dry. And the woman, no less alluring in looks herself. Silky lissome honey-gold limbs, shining long auburn hair, an hourglass figure, and full rounded breasts poured into tiny strapless bikinis that left little to imagination.

"Chakotay," the woman purred, as she reached his side and wound her arm around his bicep possessively, making him blink in surprise. He was further startled when the man too wound his fingers through his own, a seductive glint in his dark green eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked, taking a deep breath, as he silently berated himself for getting so bedazzled by these images. They're holograms, you idiot, he admonished himself. None of this is real.

"I am Penalka." The woman smiled.

"I am Jalen." The man squeezed his hand warmly.

"We're here to take care of you." They reassured him, the man attempting to tug Chakotay along, the woman urging him on from the other side.

Chakotay dug his heels into the sand and firmly stood his ground. "Take care of me?" He felt himself frown. "On whose behest?"

"Your friends, of course," she replied, looking surprised, as if she expected him to know.

"Friends." Chakotay stared at both the holograms. More than one?

"That's right." Jalen smiled at him. "They've been worried about you."

"Who are they?" He suddenly had this urge to find out. To know who it was, who in plural, that was doing all this for him.

"They're those who care for you." The woman said, her hand around his arm as warm as her smiling eyes.

"Very deeply." The man said, his voice low and husky, as he gently pulled Chakotay back onto the path, this time not getting any resistance.

Chakotay felt like smiling, slowly warming up to their antics, as he followed them. "Do they?"

"Of course." Jalen said. "They know how hard you work, Commander. They want to help you relax a little."

"Yes." Penalka said. "So tense." She squeezed Chakotay's arm. "Just feel how tense he is, Jalen."

"I can feel it." The man nodded. "I am no Emergency Medical Hologram like your Doctor, but even I can tell your tension levels are higher than they ought to be."

Before long, Chakotay saw where he was being led. They were in a lagoon and their destination was an attractive spherical glass structure built high on a platform over the water. They climbed the glass stairs lined with psychedelic flowers on both sides leading up to the entrance. As they entered the building, Chakotay looked down and saw seawater joyously spraying underneath them, visible through the transparent floor. The air was cooler inside and he noticed the place had several more rooms leading inside other than this one---a reception area, he surmised. He also saw that he could see what was happening outside clearly through the glass walls, just as those outside could see inside.

Why was he here?

"Let us take care of you, Chakotay." The woman implored him, a sudden urgency in her voice now.

"How?" he asked.

"Just relax." She cooed, leading him to a settee, her hands molding themselves to his shoulders, gently rubbing. "Sit here." He felt the man's fingers in his hair and felt his pulse quicken. "Let me make it easy for you." she murmured, her fingers finding their way to the neckline of his shirt, fiddling with the buttons.

"Hey!!" Chakotay grabbed her arm and pushed her away---realization suddenly sinking in. "Wait a minute. What the hell do you think you are..."

Jalen was suddenly in front of him, his hands on Chakotay's shoulders. "Easy, Commander." His eyes were warm, comforting. "We won't do anything you don't want us to."

"Then, what's with the stripping scenario?" Chakotay pulled away from them, feeling disbelief inundate his senses at their actions. More so at his own reactions.

The woman laughed, her voice ringing with amusement. "Not strip you? How else do you expect us to give you a massage?"

That stopped him. "Massage." He stared at them stupidly.

"Yes, it seems you missed the sign we put up especially for our friends from Earth." She chuckled as she pointed to a signboard outside the structure, which he had indeed missed on his trek inside. "Penalka and Jalen: Expert Masseuses --- at your service."

Chakotay felt hilarity descend on him like an ocean wave cascading down. "You're masseuses."

"That's right." Jalen smiled at him, his eyes twinkling.

"And you're going to give me a massage." Chakotay looked at Penalka, his eyes warming up with amusement.

"That's our job." She chuckled, as they led Chakotay into a second room---this one equipped with several massage tables, as well as robes, towels and bottles of lotions lined up over a counter running along the length of the room.

"That sign..." Chakotay pointed outside, shaking his head with a mock-frown. "...is not in standard."

"Hey, we thought a man of your craft and qualifications could read Breen." Penalka grinned.

"Very funny. Well, you find out that I don't." He smiled. One thing was sure. Whoever had designed this scenario had at least a good sense of humor.

"So, Chakotay, what do you say?" Jalen looked into his eyes.

Chakotay stared back a moment, first at Jalen, and then at Penalka, before sighing. "Just a massage?"

"Yes." She replied, her smile full of suggestion. "Unless you want something more."

Chakotay shook his head, feeling a wry smile at the corner of his lips. "Not to say I'm not tempted, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline tonight."

"Such a pity." She sighed exaggeratedly.

"Indeed." Jalen echoed.

"So where do I change?" Chakotay asked.

"Change?" Penalka smirked. "Why, right here."

Shaking his head, Chakotay stepped back and leisurely pulled his shirt off, receiving whistles and catcalls from his audience of two, and smiling at them indulgently, climbed on top of the massage table and lay down on his stomach

"Just the shirt?" Penalka sounded incredulous.

"Just the shirt." Chakotay confirmed. As enticing as these beings were, they weren't real and as lonely as he may feel sometimes, he wasn't ready for this kind of loving at this point---not when there was a chance there was someone, perhaps more than one someone, out there who was, perhaps, interested in him.

Perhaps.

"Awww...." He heard his two holographic companions groan in disappointment.

"Stop moaning, you two, and start massaging away." He clucked at them. "I am aching in here and you're supposed to make me feel better, remember?"

"Of course, sweet heart. Whatever you say."

As he felt the line of warm scented oil poured over the middle of his back and gently rubbed along the line of his spine, Chakotay felt a smile tugging at his lips. Yes, he sighed, as he felt his tension dissolve in the wake of soft pats and light swipes of thumb and fingers, yes, the whole thing was made of glass walls and glass doors and glass floors through which everything could be clearly seen outside. Yes, his holographic audience was probably seeing all this right this minute.

Yes, his entertainers ---or were they his secret admirers?--- did indeed seem to have an exhibitionist streak.

Yes, it was crazy, reckless, probably even foolish of him to be here. If he'd been in his right mind, if he had even an ounce of common sense, he wouldn't play along---not without at least making an effort to find out who was behind all this. How utterly nonsensical of him to get involved in this secret game... and then let his heart get involved too.

But then he guessed he was a fool, he sighed. A fool to crave companionship. A fool to want someone to care for him. A fool to feel the need to be loved by someone made of flesh and blood.

Someone who seemed willing to go to the trouble of creating captivating holodeck scenarios for him. Someone with the attention to detail of small trivial things... like the scent of flowers and the feel of the wind against his face.

Someone with a playful sense of humor.

Yes, he was a fool, Chakotay sighed. And he didn't even know who he was a fool for.

 

 

**_Two days later_ **

  

"Something's gonna happen tonight." B'Elanna murmured, twirling her fork around the meat spaghetti she'd replicated for herself.

"What do you mean?" Harry looked at her.

"I don't know what I mean." She grumbled at him. "I just feel it in the air."

"You mean with Tom and Seven?"

"Yes." She dropped the fork onto the plate. "Though whatever they're doing must be really secret. I haven't seen them following Chakotay like Neelix has been following the captain."

Which was the reason why she was getting this feeling that something was going to happen---and soon. It was as if Tom and Seven were involved in something deliciously clandestine, and the only whiff she could get was that of anticipation. She had stopped getting the feeling that they intended anything bad towards her friend. Her protective tendency which was to kick their asses off if they hurt Chakotay had strangely diminished in the last two three days.

Although, she didn't exactly know why.

"Oh yeah, Neelix definitely seems to be closing in for the kill." Harry said.

B'Elanna snorted. "Oh please, Starfleet. Neelix closing in for the kill? That's absurd."

"Hey, you're the one who's talking about feelings things in the air." He frowned at her.

"I can't help it if I keep getting the sensation that something important is going to happen tonight." She picked up the fork and started playing with her food again.

"I know what's going to happen tonight."

Argh. Now that was someone she wouldn't mind beating till he passed out.

"Damn it, Neelix." She growled, dropping the fork back onto the plate. "I wish you'd stop overhearing our conversations."

"I apologize, B'Elanna." The Talaxian seated himself next to Harry. "But I can tell you exactly what's going on tonight. The U'leadians are having their Goddess of the Heavens festival and they've honored us by sending their most senior delegation to lead the prayer ceremonies on Voyager right at the time the nebula expands."

"I know all about that." She scowled. "So many intruders on the ship. It's damn creepy."

"They're not intruders, B'Elanna." Neelix adopted the thoughtful tone which irritated her to no end. "They're our gracious hosts. They've kindly given us the permission to ..."

"Yes, I know, Neelix." She gritted her teeth. "To cross their space. Gracious hosts who'll be hogging our own space tonight---in all the observation lounges."

"Why B'Elanna, you seem a little edgy. You're not the one who's going to lose the bet to me." Neelix smiled.

"You think you're going to win?" Harry piped in.

"Kahless." B'Elanna rolled her eyes.

"Of course, I am." Neelix smiled giddily. "For your information, as the Ambassador, I was able to set up all of the Captain Janeway's sessions with the U'leadians to coincide with Commander Chakotay's schedule." He appeared inordinately pleased with the situation. "They've been stuck together for the past five days. It's been glorious."

"Glorious my ass." B'Elanna huffed. "I was present in half of those sessions. I don't think I've ever seen the captain give anyone a colder shoulder than she gave to Chakotay."

"What are you talking about? Kathryn has been her usual charming self throughout all the sessions."

"Neelix, I think you've drank too much of that U'leadian wine." She shook her head at him. "You're not in your senses."

"I haven't finished working on her yet." He said reassuringly. "You'll see B'Elanna, Captain Janeway will come out of this experience more happier than she's been in her whole life."

"We'll see," she said.

"Here they are." Harry said, and she turned to see Tom and Seven enter the messhall.

Ah good, now was the time to catch them before they ran away again.

"Hey Tom. Seven," she called out. "Over here."

The two tall blondes saw them and with a shared look at each other, walked over to the table.

"Did you hear this?" she said to them, as they too took a seat each at the table. "Neelix thinks Janeway is going to become very, very happy soon."

Tom smiled sweetly. "Oh, that's great, Neelix. Whatever we can do to ensure of our captain's happiness should be encouraged. Right, Seven?"

"Of course." The ex-Borg lifted a brow coolly. "The captain's happiness would increase her competence, which in turn would boost the efficiency of this crew." B'Elanna blinked as she saw the corners of those full lips twitch in a hint of a smile that didn't quite appear fully. "Unless of course someone attempts to pair her up with her first officer, which unfortunately would most probably jeopardize the wellbeing of the same crew."

"There you go." Tom waved an arm at the group in declaration.

"Nonsense." Neelix huffed. "I am positive I'll make a believer out of both of you?"

B'Elanna, though, had her eyes on Tom and Seven. That feeling of impending change was stronger now that they'd joined them. The two of them looked too calm, too ordered for her satisfaction.

"So what about you two?" she asked them. "Any luck in wooing the elusive commander? How close are you guys?"

"Close." Seven said, her eyes shifting to her face.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Tom replied. His blue eyes swam with something dark, something secret, something hidden. "More closer than you can probably imagine." He said, his voice cool.

And in that moment B'Elanna recognized the elusive look in Tom's eyes, and the realization made her heart lurch. In his eyes shimmered a strange, desperate combination of fleeting pain and longing and anticipation.

And suddenly she knew that that this was no longer a game.

 

 

**_Later that night_ **

 

Casual night on Voyager.

The U'leadians had proven to be very generous hosts. In the special event of the traditional festivities, and in the wake of Voyager's acceptance to join the hosts in their important festival, the Voyager crew had been gifted with large repositories of supplies for their journey home. Foodstuffs, medical supplies, engineering designs, as well as starcharts of the surrounding area outside U'leadian territory. The ship's cargobays were now filled to the brim with supplies and equipment. Even Kathryn Janeway was pleased.

In return, Shuttlebay two, with its much larger room for accommodation, had been transformed into the main reception area for the U'leadian festival. On further request of their hosts, who had also asked to be introduced to the kind of recreation the Voyager crew enjoyed in their off-times, new holo-emitters had been installed in one rectangular portion of the shuttlebay, to make it possible for a smaller version of Sandrine's to run in the new location.

The top shutters over the bulkheads on one side of the shuttlebay had been transformed into transparent viewports---so that the spectacle of the nebula at its exact moment of expansion could be witnessed by all.

And Chakotay, hurrying back to his quarters to get dressed for the gathering, had found a sensual red silk shirt, soft gray silk underwear, and beautifully tailored tan silk pants laid out on his bed, waiting to be worn by him.

He had laughed at this. Silk clothes. Spirits, he couldn't remember the last time he'd worn silk on any occasion. It had been so many years since he'd indulged in such epicurean delights. Surely, he'd look a fool in red, he snorted.

But then, he had also never indulged in the kind of attention that had been bestowed upon him in the last few days either.

He had time so he took a long hot shower, letting his thoughts flow over him like the hot water sheeting down his body.

Clothes. He'd been given clothes. He was being asked to dress up tonight. For a public occasion. For whoever had been behind those holodeck adventures. The time had come for the veil to come off, for the barriers to come down, for the secret to come out.

As Chakotay slowly rubbed himself dry and put on the clothes, the silk sliding sensuously against his skin, he felt a sudden jittery pulse of anticipation flow through him. His heart thudding in his chest, he took a deep breath and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

This was it. No more hiding. No more make-believe. It was time to taste the real thing.

He found it interesting to realize he had no apprehension tonight, only an expectation. He was going to find out the identity of his secret friends. Probably two secret friends, a man and a woman, judging from the two holographic 'counterparts' who'd entertained him on his last holodeck outing. And strangely enough, he felt no qualms upon reaching that realization.

Two of them? Fine, he smiled. Bring them on.

He was through playing games.

 

 

**_Shuttlebay Two_ **

  

Tom Paris diligently chalked the cue-stick and tried to bring his breathing under control.

The balls were racked all right, his clothes were in order, the drinks were flowing and the U'leadians seemed pleased as punch at Voyager's entertainment facilities.

Everything was going to be just fine.

"You're tense."

He jumped as Seven walked close yet again and announced in his ear.

For the twenty-fifth time that evening, he found himself sniffing at her and then sighing in abandon.

Perfume. She'd worn perfume tonight. Which would've been the biggest surprise of the night for him regarding Seven of Nine, if it hadn't been for the calf-length emerald green velvet dress she'd worn. Close-fitting, but not stiflingly so, with a deep flattering V-neckline adorned with a string of silver stars along the edge, the dress brought out the best of her golden good looks, making her look exquisitely beautiful.

"And you look positively ravishing tonight." he drawled, noticing everyone else's eyes on her as well.

"You've already said that fifteen times tonight." There was a hint of a smile on those full lips. "If your intention is to get a compliment in return each time you praise me, then perhaps you should state it more clearly."

"Me? Fishing for a compliment?" Tom replied in mock-surprise. "Now why in the universe you'd think that, Seven?"

Why indeed? Seven wasn't the only one who'd caught the crew's, and the aliens', eyes upon walking into the shuttlebay. He knew he was dressed for the occasion himself. A deep blue woven cotton pullover, full-sleeved and perfectly contoured to his wide shoulders. And dark blue slacks, close-fitting, and flatteringly molding to his ass and legs.

He felt Seven's eyes on his frame and looked into them. "He will be pleased." She smiled.

He felt his cheeks warm at this. "If he shows up, that is." He tried to brush off her comment.

For reasons inexplicable, Tom felt his heart fluttering in distraction, and frowned. He had to admit that his relationship with Chakotay had never been easy. The older man, with his calm, collected ways, had never failed to flabbergast him, had always made Tom want to shake him up, rile him up, tease him to no end, to do anything to make Chakotay react in some startling astounding way.

But damn, this was no longer a game. No matter how much Tom tried to tell himself that it was, that it had only been a bet, only a prank that they were playing, he could no longer bring his heart to believe this. Watching Chakotay closely these past few days, creating all those distractions for him, sensing his own feelings get deeply, and bafflingly knotted with the image of the man he'd once thought he knew, and who at each turn had turned out to be more complex, more layered, and more intriguing than he could've ever imagined, had turned his feelings around a complete one-eighty degrees.

Still, there was this fear... that perhaps, they'd gone too overboard, or perhaps done too little. Surely, there was too much water under the bridge, too much bad history between the two of them to ever clear out the haze.

What if what they'd done meant nothing to the man? What if it was all in vain? What if he didn't show up?

"He will," she said.

"We can't be sure." He frowned.

"Yes, we can." She seemed positive. "This is the last main event, an important festival for the U'leadians, something the Voyager command crew will be expected to attend. As the first officer, he will be present."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "But there's no guarantee that he'll wear those clothes."

"He will." She stared into his eyes.

Tom swallowed hard. "He doesn't have to."

"He will want to." She reassured him. "Commander Chakotay has exhibited deeply hidden hedonistic tendencies. It may not appear to be the case from the outside, but privately he enjoys opulent, luxurious activities. He enjoyed the hot spring, he took great pleasure at the masseuses. He will wear the silk attire also."

He looked into her blue eyes, feeling his brows wrinkle. "That sounds almost clinical, Seven?"

"It is not." She tilted her chin up, adamant. "I've just made some observations, as I knew you have too."

He felt a smile at the corners of his lips. "You seem sure."

"I am." Her one brow went up in characteristic Borg assuredness.

"Okay." He sighed. "You're right. I just needed to be sure as well."

Her eyes turned warm. "That is understandable."

"You know what," he smiled. "The way you look tonight, I don't think he'll be able to resist you either."

He was surprised to see her cheeks turn crimson at this. She ran a hesitant hand through her open hair, beautifully curling over her shoulders, and shrugged.

"We shall see."

Their attention was diverted as B'Elanna and Harry walked into the shuttlebay and on seeing the two of them, sauntered over to their table. The half-Klingon too was dressed up for the occasion in a short length, pleated dress and Harry seemed comfortable in his nice offduty attire as well.

"My my my...." B'Elanna's eyes widened when she saw Tom and Seven. "You two are dressed to kill tonight." Her eyes raked Seven's outfit. "Seven, you look very un-Borg like."

"Thank you." Seven inclined her head.

Harry shook his head at them, smiling. "I take my words back, guys. There's no way Neelix can beat this, no matter what he does."

"Please!" Tom held up a hand in front of his friends. "Don't jinx us, for godsake. We've already got a lotta worries to handle."

"Oh my God." B'Elanna gasped as she saw the latest comers to the party enter the reception. "Let's see how you will handle that, Flyboy."

Tom turned around and froze, feeling his breath catch in his throat suddenly.

Chakotay was here. Dressed in red for the whole crew to see, in the same silk clothes they'd laid out for him, he stood by the captain's side talking to one of the U'leadian Ministers. Tom felt his heart suddenly start to beat very, very fast. The clothes had molded to Chakotay's frame exquisitely. Those broad shoulders perfectly defined under sensual silk, emphasizing the curves of his muscular built, and the tan slacks mouth-wateringly conforming to that gorgeous ass and long legs.

How could he have ever imagined that Chakotay would look this good?

"I was correct in my assessment." Seven said softly next to him. "Red is his color."

"It sure is." Tom sighed. "He looks awesome."

"However, he will look more... awesome out of these clothes." She whispered in his ear, her voice huskier than her Borg sensibilities would've allowed her to admit to.

He stared at her then and saw her eyes darken with determination and something more. He felt a fabulous, tantalizing sense of euphoria fill him suddenly---an ecstatic burst of energy inundating his insides.

"Yes," he said, feeling a smile spread on his face. "He will."

"I don't think Neelix wants to give up as yet." Harry was shaking his head and Tom and Seven looked back at the object of their desire.

Chakotay seemed to be caught in the middle of an animated discussion between Captain Janeway, Neelix and two of the U'leadian Ministers. Energized with his characteristic over-excitement, Neelix was talking boisterously to one U'leadian, pointing giddily between Janeway and Chakotay with what appeared to be his usual abandon. Chakotay, who although nodding graciously at the discussion, seemed a little distracted and at one point Tom noticed him scanning the room unobtrusively---as if looking for someone.

Tom felt his pulse race as suddenly the older man's eyes caught his own, both of them freezing at the contact, a sudden flash of something ---recognition, wonder, or perhaps humor--- warming those dark eyes, before Chakotay nodded in acknowledgement, smiling at him and the rest of the group, and turned back to the U'leadians.

Had those brown eyes lingered on him? Tom asked himself, feeling his heart racing. Had he imagined that gleam of acknowledgement? Or was it wonder? Was it a query? Was it... nothing?

"It was something," Seven said, as if reading his conflicted thoughts. "It was real." She looked at him.

His eyes still on Chakotay, Tom felt himself suddenly tense as he saw Captain Janeway grab the first officer's upper arm and with her other hand pat him on his chest, laughing loudly at something Neelix had said to the U'leadians.

"It's time to make the move." Seven said.

"It most definitely is." Tom felt his teeth grit in determination.

"Wait here." She laid her Borg-enhanced hand on his forearm. "The element of surprise is often the right approach when dealing with a complex situation. I shall... surprise him."

"O-kay." He replied, watching his co-conspirator walk to the bar, her heels clicking enticing on the shuttlebay floor, the eyes of his friends behind him following her tall, lean figure.

"What is she doing?"

He heard B'Elanna mutter, and smiled, ignoring all other distractions around him---his attention suddenly focused solely on the man, and the woman helping him in pursuing that man, in front of them.

"Okay, Chak..." he murmured. "Let's see how you handle this."

********


	3. Chapter 3

**Entangled, Chapter 3**

 

 

 

She watched the holographic patron, the character named Sandrine, expertly balance the four drinks on her tray and nodded in approval.

Seven had the lone tall crystal wineglass, filled with the same special fruity punch they'd served Chakotay at the holodeck, sitting on the counter within reach. She helped herself to the bucket of ice cubes, delicately using an ice-tong to lift one cube, and then another, carefully placing them into the drink. Finished with this task, she turned back to her quarry and took stock of the situation.

As Borg, hesitation would've been one emotion she would have rejected without any consideration. Emotions were irrelevant. Borg did not doubt themselves. In the flawlessness of the Collective thought, there was no uncertainty, no indecision, no disorder. In the harmonious flow of millions of voices speaking together, there were no questions left unanswered. All knowledge was prevalent and existence became perfection.

But she was no longer Borg. No longer perfect. Every decision she made now had to be carefully thought out, prudently pored over and cautiously investigated. As an individual, her thoughts were her own. She had no clue how the other individuals on this vessel thought and what their feelings were. She often found herself bereft, floundering in need, seeking that lost perfection.

Until now.

Seven had spent years, trying, at times to avoid, and, at times to decipher, the enigma that was Commander Chakotay. He'd severed her link to the Collective. He'd never hidden his initial distrust of her existence on Voyager from anyone. At times, he'd been blunt with her, at others, characteristically straightforward, but one thing he'd never been in his treatment of her and that was unfair. He'd treated her with the same impartiality he reserved for all the other members of the crew. She could not overlook that fact.

And yet, he'd never forgotten where she'd come from. Her Borg past, which could've been a source of disparagement to him, had always stayed foremost on his mind, perhaps even assisting him in trying to understand her motivations better. He was one of the few individuals on this vessel who'd ever tried to look at her own wishes, who'd tried to coax out her own wants and needs and aspirations, instead of attempting to mold her into an image of who he expected her to be.

She already knew his thoughts, had been inside his mind. She wished now to know him better, to understand him on a level that transcended any forced neural links. She longed for the intimacy that would come with that kind of connection, longed for the energy and awareness that would make all minds in the Collective equals in a game more beautiful, more devoted than anything an individual could hope to accomplish in solitude.

Perhaps, it would be a physical connection, she was not sure. She had never felt these feelings before. Therefore, she would have to take it all in stride.

And then, there was Tom Paris, the other half of her two-part team that was attempting this game of quietly seducing the commander. This game that had ceased being a wager a long while back. Tom Paris---the only other individual who'd ever accepted her as what she was, instead of trying to change her into what he expected her to be.

Like Chakotay.

These two men--- who'd treated her more impartially than anyone else amongst this crew. These two men she should trust without any hesitation.

And still she wavered, still she doubted herself.

Well, not anymore.

Seven noticed Sandrine had interrupted Neelix's loud frenzied monologue and was now serving the drinks to the group. There were four glasses on the tray, two of which had been picked up by the U'leadian Ministers, and it appeared that Neelix was now attempting to serve the other two to the captain and the commander. Seven watched as Sandrine evaded his attempts to guide the tray to the commander, thrusting it in Neelix's own face---trying to tell him the last drink was for him.

This must not go on, Seven decided.

She picked up the glass on the counter, cautiously straightened her clothes, and then gingerly made her way to the animated group.

"No, how can I take this drink, when Commander Chakotay has not been served?" Neelix was protesting. "Why, Sandrine, I never thought you'd be so inconsiderate. Of course the commander will have this drink..." The Talaxian picked up the last glass from the tray, turning with it to the commander again. "...which, I must add, looks exactly like the drink Captain Janeway is having. Oh just look at their matching colors, it's so wonderful to see the Voyager command team drink matching drinks. Don't you think, Minister?" he asked one U'leadian standing to his right.

Seven chose this moment to intervene.

"I think," she announced aloud, planting herself next to Commander Chakotay, who until now hadn't seen her approach, and placing her hand on his arm. "Commander Chakotay will approve of this drink."

Chakotay turned to her then, and for a moment, she felt him go still. His dark eyes widening with surprise, she noticed him give her an appraisal from head to toe, and then she saw the corners of his lips turn up into a surprised smile.

"Seven..." He looked at her warmly, clearly pleased at her getup tonight. "You look absolutely..." His eyes dropped to the drink in her hand, and he stopped in mid-sentence. The brown eyes widened further as recognition joined the parade of the other emotions flitting over his face. Shock, wonder, astonishment. He looked up into her eyes, looking bewildered for a moment.

"You look..." he began again, the pupils of his eyes suddenly dilating as he took a deep breath and stared at her. "...absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you." She felt her face heat at his intense stare and brought up the glass of punch held in her hand. "Your drink," she said, offering it to him and he took it from her hand with a bow, his eyes never wavering from her face.

"Yes, Seven, you look marvelous tonight." Captain Janeway chuckled in acknowledgement. "Minister Growgon..." she turned to one of the U'leadians. "Seven of Nine is an ex-Borg drone who we freed from the Collective. I am always telling her to take part in more social activities and to embrace her humanity and finally it seems, she's taking my advice. I bet you could hardly tell she used to be Borg, could you?"

For a second, Seven felt a palpable rush of irritation fill herself at the captain's words. At her speaking about Seven as if she were an inanimate object, an automaton that needed to be programmed and told to act a certain way, without which she would cease to function. But then, she took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. Now wasn't the time to allow her focus to waver from her true objective.

She saw a slight frown form between Chakotay's dark brows, and realized he'd noticed the discontent in her eyes, and gave him a small, reassuring smile. He nodded in acknowledgement, his expression smoothing out once more.

"Seven," the captain was addressing her again. "We're going to be watching the festivities from these specially adapted viewports. Why don't you join us?"

Keeping her eyes locked into the commander's, Seven replied, "Thank you, Captain. But we have another... location in mind." She saw the deep brown eyes smile at that.

"Well then," Neelix spoke at this point, his voice higher than usual with what sounded like sheer desperation. "I am sure Commander Chakotay would like to join the Ministers at the festivities, as part of the command team..."

Seven would've interceded but Tom Paris decided to step in at this moment.

"Hey, Chakotay..." he called out nonchalantly, suddenly appearing by his side, his tone lighthearted. Stepping right next to the commander, he laid one casual hand on the commander's right arm, startling the man. For one moment, a few nanoseconds maybe, the pilot looked into the first officer's eyes---staring deep, a secret joyous quirk at the corners of his lips.

And then without missing a beat, Tom turned to the captain. "Captain, how are you, you look lovely tonight." He smiled brightly. "You don't mind if we borrow your first officer for a few rounds of pool, do you? After all, how can we successfully show our favorite recreation activities to our gracious hosts until I've publicly beaten my favorite pool partner at least a half dozen times?"

Seven had her eyes fixed on Chakotay's face, and thus availed herself of the complete spectacle of his reaction to Tom's appearance. She watched as Chakotay's mouth fell open, his dark eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he seemed frozen in place. And then, the color of his face darkening with a blush, he ran his eyes over the pilot's attire, apparently taking inventory of what was in stock, and wet his dry lips with a swipe of his tongue.

The captain was laughing at Tom's comments and waving him off. "Permission granted."

Neelix seemed perturbed at this. "But, captain..."

"Hush, Neelix..." she shushed him, clearly oblivious to all the undercurrents running in the conversations taking place around her. Or perhaps, she just didn't care. "Come on, let them play, lets help the Ministers settle down now."

With that, the captain dragged Neelix away, the U'leadians following them with fond amusement---leaving Tom, Chakotay and Seven standing in the middle of the room, staring at each other.

The commander's eyes glittered in the dim lights of Sandrine's. He stared first at Tom, then at Seven, and then dropped his eyes to the drink in his hand, giving a slightly amused shake of his head, before bringing his eyes up again. Keeping the gaze locked with the two, he brought the purple orange drink to his full lips and drank deeply---watching his companions watch his Adam's apple bob, as he swallowed the beverage.

"So..." Chakotay said, his eyes resting on Tom. "You think you can beat me six times straight, huh?"

"Oh..." Tom cleared his throat as he nodded to Seven, and the two of them led Chakotay towards a pool table. "That was just an excuse to pluck you out of their clutches, Chakotay." They reached their destination and he stopped, turning back to the commander. "As for the game," he looked into the dark eyes. "What I'd really like is to play with you a game that never ends..."

"Never ends?" Chakotay asked, his eyes intent on the pilot's face.

"Yeah." Tom's voice had a texture Seven had never noticed before---soft, like velvet. "A game... that goes on forever and ever and ever."

"Never ending recreation." There was a hint of a smile at the corner of those full lips, the brown eyes twinkling. "Nice concept."

"Yep." Tom grinned. "Now that would score some major points, wouldn't it?"

There was a sudden hardening of those dark eyes then, as they bored into Tom's startled blue ones, Chakotay's lips tightening as he swallowed a lump in his throat. A small frown touched his brow, disappeared, and then with a deep breath he turned to the pool table.

"The balls..." he started.

"Already racked and waiting for you..." Seven stepped forward, a cue in her hand---her breathing feeling short, uneven.

He turned to her, his eyes darkening again as he stared at her as if watching her for the first time ---that same hint of pleased surprise touching the dark depths--- before he blinked and a frown appeared between his brows.

"Seven," he took a deep breath, an effort to calm his expression. "I didn't know you played pool..."

She didn't. But that wasn't the point.

"There's a lot you're still to learn about me, Commander." Seven stared at him, her words a challenge for him---or perhaps an invitation.

"Would you break, or should I?" Tom's question drifted over to them and the moment passed. Chakotay stared at her a moment longer and then turned to the other man.

"Humor me." He shrugged.

Tom broke.

It was a game with no stakes in the here and now. It was inconsequential, immaterial---a recreational act with an outcome that would've meant nothing to anyone. And yet, it was a step more important than any step they'd ever taken before. Like the bet they'd made, this game was dangerous, intense, entwining more than just the humorous distractions laid down by friends having a laugh over a round of drinks.

It was a game that had entangled three lives into a complex web of hope and longing and desire.

Suddenly, Seven realized that she had no doubts left in her heart. She looked at the two men playing the game of pool, and knew what she wanted. She knew, and she didn't want to wait anymore.

Almost as if he'd felt the change in the atmosphere, Chakotay suddenly dropped the cue on the table and straightened up, his hands curling into fists at his sides, his face conflicted.

"Tom..." he grated. "Seven..." His breathing was hard. "I don't understand... I don't understand why you two are..."

Tom dropped the cue as well and reached for Chakotay's arm, gripping it with his hand. "Not here, Chakotay." He said.

Chakotay stared hard at his face, his breathing ragged. "Then where?"

"Holodeck 2." Tom replied.

"Holodeck 2." Chakotay repeated.

"The private timeslot for Commander Chakotay..." Seven joined in. "...will begin at 2230 Hrs."

"Be there," Tom continued.

"You won't regret it." She finished it.

Chakotay swallowed another lump, his eyes glittering with challenge accepted.

"I'll be there," he replied.

 

 

_**2220 Hrs.** _

  

Spread the love around.

That was the message the Festival of the Goddess gave to the U'leadians all over their vast territory, and to those who chose to be their friends and kindly joined in their festivities.

How beautiful these people were, Minister Growgon thought, looking around at the crew of the Starship Voyager. Such gracious hosts, such compassionate friends, such delightful people to get to know and make alliances with.

How beautiful and how lonely, Growgon shook his head in sadness. So far away from their homes, from all their loved ones, from their mates. How tragic their situation would be, if it weren't for their perseverance, their never-ending determination to make this attempt to reach home against all odds.

They were lucky that they had come across the U'leadians. For the U'leadians were known for their gracious hospitality and their sensitivity towards those who'd been deprived of love for too long.

After all, the U'leadians were capable of solving the dilemma of loneliness and lovesickness of deprived species with no problem at all.

Growgon looked into his mate Jharel's eyes and saw the same realization.

Yes. As per the U'leadian custom, they would pay these beautiful people back by waiting for the precise moment the nebula expanded and the Goddess bestowed her blessings on these newcomers... by reaching within themselves and spreading the love around.

They will soak these kind people with the exaltation of love and affection. There will be no turning back. After the Goddess got through with endowing them with her sanctification, the Voyager crew will have no shortfall of love, passion and desire anymore.

They deserved no less.

 

 

**_2225 Hrs._ **

  

Chakotay leaned against the balustrade, his eyes raking the crisp, black night, as he attempted to recognize the constellations he could make out through the occasionally fluffy patch of cloud floating into his line of vision. There was Cepheus, he thought, the King, Andromeda's father, shining dimly in that lone corner of the northern sky. And there was Pegasus, he smiled, the winged horse, carrier of the lightening bolts for Zeus.

A fall New York City night---the simulation as realistic as everything else Chakotay had been treated to in the last few days. His emotions, on the other hand, were more deeply wrangled, more tortuously involved, than he could've ever imagined them getting.

The breeze was cool and brisk against his face, heavily-scented with the lush aromatic clematis rising along a wall somewhere, out of his sight---stirring his hair, lifting his clothes, making it easier for him to breath.

He was on the forty-ninth floor of a luxury hotel suite somewhere in the middle of twentieth century Manhattan. Mirrored French doors separated the sumptuously furnished living room the holodeck doors had opened into ---adorned with velvet-covered divans and beautifully carved furniture--- from the equally splendid bedroom ---with the large King-sized bed he'd noticed--- and the terrace he was currently standing on. Far below him, the blinking, dazzling neon lights and the colors of the city night were a breathtaking distraction, endlessly enticing to his electrified senses.

Even if his queries to the computer hadn't come back with the clear, concise and correct replies they had this time, the location and the style and the era would've told him the identity of the creator of this simulation: Tom Paris.

For a moment, Chakotay wondered if he should've known it all along. The hot spring. The alien beach. The jaunty flirtatious pair of masseuses. All had been signs of a quirky, capricious personality behind them. And who did he know that was more capricious, more playful, more frisky than Tom Paris?

But then, he'd been so keyed up at those times that the only thing he'd noticed was how good those simulations had made him feel, how well he'd been taken care of, how relaxed he'd gotten after those visits.

None of those feelings, none of those emotions that he'd felt were things he could've matched up with his normal reactions to Tom Paris. The man had been a thorn in his side for the longest time. He'd grated on his nerves, irritated him to no end and challenged his authority at every chance he'd gotten.

Chakotay sighed.

Tom had also made him laugh when the times had gotten tough occasionally. Those seriously bad jokes in the middle of a boring bridge shift. Those endless taunts when Chakotay felt plunged into one of his rare dark moods, which made him want to beat the shit out of the smart ass, but which, after it was all over, only made him shake his own head in uncontrollable fondness. And those stupid games on the holodecks, pointless, innocent, unoffending bits of pleasure.

But still. How could he have known? How could he have thought it would've been Tom taking care of him?

And then there was Seven. Spirits, he could've laughed if he didn't feel his heart tightening inside his chest like a noose around his neck. Seven, who'd walked into his life with the haughty indifference only a Borg drone could've achieved. Seven, who'd poked and provoked him at every corner, who'd given him the coldest of attitudes wherever he'd turned. Seven, who was Borg through and through, with no hopes of redemption.

He bit his lips, shaking his head in frustration.

Seven, who looked at everything with the fresh, unbiased perspective of the very new. Seven who always had a unique viewpoint to offer, an invigorating, original outlook to solve every dilemma. Seven, who never lied. Seven, who could care deeply for the very young, who befriended the most lonely, who didn't know what manipulation meant, or what it could do to people.

Had he been blind all this time? Had he been seeing only what he'd wanted to see, and ignoring all the rest of the clues that could've taught him the distinguishing factors that made Tom Paris and Seven of Nine who they were?

Had he?

The satin curtains behind him stirred and he suddenly knew he was no longer alone. The two of them walked into the terrace from behind him and quietly stepped up to the railing on either side of him---Tom on his left, Seven on his right. His valiant serene protectors.

For a moment, all was silent. Chakotay could hear their breathing in the quiet night, their eyes looking up into the black sky as were his. And then Tom sighed.

"You're early." The younger man spoke, his voice soft and low in the cool breeze.

"You're late." Chakotay countered.

"A few minutes." Tom sighed. "Sorry. We were stopped by some very irritating people who thought the U'leadians' festivities were more important than what we wanted to do tonight."

"They are important." Chakotay stressed.

"Excuse me." Tom drawled, his tone mischievous, a smile in his voice. "As I was saying... we were stopped by some very irritating people who thought the U'leadians' festivities were more important than what we wanted to do tonight."

Chakotay found himself grinning at this, his face still upturned into the dark night.

They stayed that way for a while. Looking down at the streetlights, at the tall skyscrapers around them, at the fast twentieth century automobiles ---Tom's love--- racing along the highways.

And then Tom turned to him. "You're quiet."

Chakotay kept his face to the front, aware of Seven going still next to him. "It's in my nature. I usually am not very talkative."

"No," Tom's voice was soft, almost cautious. "I mean, you're quieter than usual."

"What is usual, Tom?"

"Usual is you at least telling us if we've done something really majorly stupid?" A hint of frustration had crept into Tom's voice. "If we've screwed up big time and whether there's any chance of us being redeemed at all?"

Chakotay looked at him then, that knot of emotions entangled constricting his chest, making his breathing ragged. "You want to be redeemed, Tom?"

"I don't know, Chakotay." His blue eyes were sparkling with a challenge. "Why don't you tell me?"

 

 

**_2240 Hrs._ **

  

Pheromones.

The cell-sized chemical wonders emitted by every living organism in the universe.

The U'leadian delegation watched the Goddess bestow her blessings on their worlds, as the nebula expanded and spread out in a sudden burst of color and vitality, and bowed their heads in subjugation.

Growgon, a soft smile playing on his face, closed his eyes and spread out his arms on both his sides. The index finger of his right hand met that of his mate Jahrel's left hand in a soft caress, and the index finger of his left hand met that of the right hand of the U'leadian on his left. Each U'leadian, standing before the modified viewports, duplicated his gesture, creating a long chain of touching hands---one finger to the other, one hand to the next.

And standing together, they reached within themselves, and in pure U'leadian custom, released the sex pheromones they were so widely known for in this sector of the quadrant.

Pheromones.

The airborne chemicals traveled fast, Voyager's efficient ventilation system aiding their progress through every room, every section, every deck on the ship. They fogged the environmental controls, spreading into every corner of the vessel, reaching each and every individual who was endowed with a respiratory system, sitting inside a ventilated room. And there, they descended upon their olfactory nerves, entering their nasal passages, traveling up to and stimulating their hypothalamus---the center of brain that controlled all emotions.

Perspectives changed. Possibilities, which had never even been thought before, suddenly became certainties. Lives intertwined.

The U'leadians had been right.

There was to be no turning back.

 

 

"You want me to talk?" Chakotay looked at Tom hard, a sudden blistering fire filling his bones.

Tom's lips thinned, his breathing short. "That would be a start, yeah."

"Okay. I'll talk. Whose idea was this?" Chakotay growled, suddenly pivoting on his feet, and stalking back into the living room.

They hurried after him.

"Whose idea was what?" Tom asked.

"All of this?" Chakotay's arms jerked out to encompass all that was around him. "These... the holodeck scenarios?"

"Which one?" Tom asked.

"Which one." Chakotay huffed. "The hot spring."

Seven spoke up. "It was a mutual consultation. The water was his idea. The food was mine." There was firmness in her voice that was nothing like her brisk Borg demeanor.

Chakotay stared at her. "The setting."

Tom replied. "Me."

Chakotay recounted, his voice hard. "The clothes."

Seven tilted her head up at him. "Mine."

Chakotay yelled. "The drink?"

"I chose the color." Tom said.

"And the masseuses." Chakotay began to pace, his emotions suddenly overwhelming him, making his movements jerky, irregular. "Ah, yes, flirtatious, outrageous man-woman team of seducers." He turned to face them both. "Who came up with that gem?"

"Again, it was a mutual consultation." There was a slight desperation in Seven's voice. "We went through various combinations and settled on that option. We made sure the characters were nothing like us physically."

"Nothing like you." Chakotay snorted. "Of course. The big ol' secret." He looked down at his silk shirt. "Who came up with these clothes?"

Seven replied, her breathing a little fast. "I chose the color."

"I chose the material." Tom completed.

"You chose the material." A sarcastic dark humor filled Chakotay's tone "Silk, Tom? I would never have thought."

"Yeah, I aim to shock you at every turn, Chakotay." Tom grated.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Tom looked at him in exasperation. "The silk was a good option. It looks great on you."

"No!" Chakotay shook his head. "I mean... why did you do all this?"

"You do not approve." Seven asked, a strange tremor in her voice.

Chakotay stared at her, aggravated. "I don't know what to think, Seven. Why?" He felt his emotions roiling inside him. "Why did you hide yourself?" he asked, his eyes drilling hers. "Why didn't you come up to me straight if you were interested?"

"Come up to you straight?" Tom huffed. "And what, get a broken nose from you?" he walked right up to Chakotay, his voice rising as he stared into his face. "What would you have done if we'd come up to you straight, out of the blue, Chakotay?" He stood nose to nose with him. "How would you have reacted if we'd told you we wanted you?"

"What would I've done?" Chakotay felt an urge to take a step back, and then a drive to grab the younger man's shoulders, shaking sense into him---when he felt senseless himself, convoluted. "What do you think I am gonna do now?" he yelled, anguished. "You think... you think you'll throw together a few holodeck adventures, and replicate some clothes for me, and I am going to throw myself as you?"

"Oh no," Tom snarled, his face flushed as he looked into his eyes. "You don't throw yourself at anyone, do you?"

"Damn right, I don't." Chakotay growled.

"Then how about you take this, Chakotay." Tom stepped right into his face and before Chakotay could react, the blonde slipped his arms around his shoulders and jerking Chakotay forward, latched his lips to his.

For a moment, Chakotay felt too stunned to react. Tom's lips were hard and unrelenting against his mouth, his hands running over his back---possessive, scouring, fervent. He felt Tom's hot tongue stab at his lips, sizzling and wet against his mouth, making his head spin at the ferocity of it.

And then as if waking up from a trance, Chakotay felt himself propelled into action. He moved his hands around Tom's arms, feeling desperate, encircling Tom's arms, trying to pull the younger man away from him. His mind reeled at the onslaught: No, no, it was too close, too much, too soon. He struggled, his chest heaving, his fingers pinching Tom's biceps. And as if sensing his resistance, the blonde wrapped himself tighter around Chakotay, his hands gripping his arms, his mouth moving insistently against him, as he drove his hips into Chakotay's groin.

Chakotay groaned as he felt Tom's hardness pressing into his groin, and felt his own body react as his cock too stirred in response, that desperation turning into panic as he struggled to get free. He had to stop himself, had to stop Tom before it went any further, before they couldn't turn back anymore. A sudden burst of energy infused his senses and he gripped Tom's shoulders, jerking him off his frame, their lips unlocking, as he pushed Tom away from him.

"TOM!!!" He yelled, his heart skidding a frenzied beat. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU..."

His words strangled in his throat, as Tom, his eyes glittering with wild intent, without losing a breath, launched himself at Chakotay. His balance lost, Chakotay felt himself stagger and fall backwards, his body hitting the hard, cushioned surface of the divan. His breath wheezed out of his lungs as Tom landed on top of him, his hard, unyielding body pressing down on him, holding off all of Chakotay's attempts to throw him off. Tom's lips scored his face, the hot mouth moving down his neck, the teeth nipping at him lightly, making him groan.

This had to stop. This had to end. Oh spirits, this had to...

He felt Tom's hands run down his spine, moving onto to his ass, the fingers gripping the flesh hard and with a groan of desperation, he seized Tom's shoulders and flipped them over, rolling on top of the younger man.

"What the fuck are you doing, Tom?" He wheezed at the blonde, his breath shuddering in his throat, his hands gripping Tom's wrists tightly as he looked into the beautiful flushed face, feeling his own grip to his sanity shaken.

"Throwing myself at you, Chak." Tom panted up at him, his soft lips bruised and glistening, his blue eyes glittering up at him with lust, as he rocked his hips against Chakotay's, showing him the rock-hard evidence of his arousal.

And something suddenly snapped inside Chakotay. Like a serpent uncoiling from its watchful stance, the lust he'd been trying to keep locked inside of him suddenly sprang out of control.

His emotions awhirl, he brought Tom's wrists on either side of his head, bent down, and claimed his open panting lips. Thrusting his tongue inside the sweetness that was Tom's mouth, Chakotay raked his teeth along the upper lip as he soundly nipped the lower one, making the younger man yelp in surprise. Then driving his hips into Tom's groin, he pushed the younger man into the divan, holding him tight, not letting him move, as he devoured his mouth---unable to stop himself. He heard strangled choked sobs leave the blonde's throat and that only made him kiss him harder, marking him, claiming him, his fingers digging into Tom's wrists, leaving bruises.

Suddenly he felt arms surround him, and a long, strong yet soft body covered him from behind. Warm hands traveled to his stomach, long fingers digging their way into his shirt, reaching bare skin, making him shudder in response.

He felt a moan form in his throat. "Seven," he cried, as he felt her soft lips move at the back of his neck, her breath hot in his ear as she whispered his name in response. Her breasts pressing into his back, her legs wrapped around his thighs, keeping him in place as he felt Tom's hands move out of his grip and up to his face---his fingers raking his hair, bringing his head down to the hot mouth as once again he was kissed soundly. He felt Seven's fingernails rake his abdomen and felt himself shiver.

The two of them... the two of them wrapped around his body... how could he endure this, how would he survive?

He suddenly pulled away from Tom's mouth, and gripping his shoulders firmly, he stared into blue eyes that were almost black with desire.

"Tom," he asked, his heart thudding in his chest. "What do you want?"

"I want you." Tom panted up at him. "I want you so badly, Chak."

He turned to her then, her face crimson and more beautiful than he'd ever thought possible, more enticing than anything he'd ever seen. "Seven?" he looked into her deep blue eyes.

She touched her hand to his face, her finger tracing his cheek, his brow, his nose, his lips. "I want you too, Chakotay." Her voice was husky with want, her lips trembling.

"Spirits..." He groaned and gripped her shoulders then, leaning down to kiss her for the first time. Her lips were soft and hot and pliant, her mouth burning against his own, her tongue swiping against his teeth, her taste unbelievably sweet into his mouth. His fingers sank into her silky blonde hair, brushing along her nape, running down her back, holding her close, as he tilted her face to kiss her deeper, feeling lost in the sweetness of her taste.

He felt Tom's arms close around his waist, his long fingers finishing the job Seven's had started, as his silk shirt was efficiently unbuttoned and slipped off. Then those hands smoothed across his bare chest and abdomen, the fingers raking his ribs, seeking out his nipples, tweaking them tantalizingly.

"Let us have you, Chak." He trembled as he felt Tom nip his left ear.

"Let us love you." Seven kissed his throbbing pulse, her hands tight around his body.

He groaned. "Oh God, I need you."

And that was all the indication they seemed to need.

Held between two lithe bodies ---one hard, one soft, and neither yielding--- and two pairs of arms roaming his body, Chakotay was slowly, carefully guided into the bedroom. One pair of lips running down his throat, he found himself pressed down into the bed as he felt a tongue dip into his ear, making him groan. His senses dizzy, his cock growing harder with every passing second, he saw Seven hovering above him and pulled her down to him, the velvet of her dress brushing his bare chest. His lips on the dip of her throat, her silky legs rubbing his own, his hands reached behind her slim frame as his fingers sought out the fasteners of her dress---desperate to get to her skin.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew Tom's hands were running up his leg, distracting him on an unconscious level, but his fingers had found the zipper behind Seven's dress which he pulled down with relish, his hands moving inside, encountering cool naked skin. He heard her moan into his ear, as her dress came down her shoulders, baring her to his touch, his eyes lighting up on her beautiful body.

Her breasts were clasped in a sensual satin bra, the clasp of which he unfastened and as her breasts were freed, his eyes fell to the silver skeletal Borg implant under her heart. It was a part of her Borg exoskeleton, running along her ribs, visible over her skin. He looked up into her eyes and saw their luminescence dimmed strangely with apprehension. No, this could not be allowed. He knew her unrest was at what his reaction would be to her body, and reached down to run a finger along the cool metal.

"You're beautiful, Seven," he reassured her with a smile, holding her waist between his palms, reaching down to kiss the metal implant repeatedly. She moaned over him, her body shivering as he languidly slid up, his lips kissing a path up her body as he moved, sucking between the valley of her breasts, his hands holding her delicately, securely.

He, then, kissed her mouth hard, letting her taste his lips, her tongue dipping into his mouth, her heart thudding against his own as he ran his fingers through her hair, delighting in their softness, their dazzle.

That was when he felt Tom's hands reaching between their two bodies, his long fingers unclasping the opening of his pants, and Chakotay, falling back on the satin sheets, reached out to the younger man, pulling him close to him. His brows wrinkled as he saw the blonde deliciously disheveled but still fully clothed, smiling at him seductively. Seven rolled off him with one more kiss, as Chakotay, with an impatient growl, grabbed Tom and pulling him down to the bed, swiftly yanked off the irritating, sensuous blue shirt he'd donned.

"Yes." He panted down in the younger man's face, his eyes raking Tom's beautifully flushed pale torso generously sprinkled with wiry blonde hairs. "I must have you now," he said as he covered Tom's body with his own, holding his arms captive, the hard nipples rubbing against his chest, his erection yearning to meet Tom's through two pairs of cloth. He felt Tom's mouth moving along his throat, the hot tongue running down his neck, teasing his throbbing pulse, as he glided down to the younger man's parted pink lips and kissed him firmly, thrusting his tongue inside the his mouth, tasting him, teasing him.

"Please, Chak," Tom's sighs filled his ears, as they rocked their hips together. "I want you." He felt Tom's hands skim down to his backside, the fingers teasing the swell of his ass through the sensuous silk of his pants, and then shifted his hips as they slipped inside, hurriedly sliding the material off.

His lips on Tom's throat, he divested the younger man of his slacks as well and then turned to Seven, sliding his arms around her supple body, kissing her face, feeling Tom close his arms around him.

"And I want you..." he moaned, his whole body burning with arousal. "I want both of you."

"And you'll have us," Tom whispered in his ear. "Now," he growled.

And with that, he was guided around and found himself covering Seven's body, her lips pressed against his, as he felt his silk underwear pulled down and off his body. He felt Tom cover him from behind and with a shiver, realized the pilot was fully naked too, his erection a burning rod of flesh throbbing between Chakotay's thighs.

"Seven." He kissed her neck as he felt her gorgeous breasts pressing into his chest, the hardened nipples deliciously rubbing against his skin. He shifted until he could look into her sparkling blue eyes and realized they were almost black with need. He linked his fingers through her long ones and squeezed them gently, urging her to look into his eyes. "Seven?" he said again, knowing this was her first time in an intimate situation, her name sliding out of his lips as a question---a request.

Her eyes slowly focussed as she stared at him, and he knew she'd recognized his dilemma when she slid one leg up and pressed it against his hard erection, making him groan.

"Please, show me...." she sighed. "I want to be with you."

He felt as if everything was moving past his vision in slow motion. Him helping Seven slide off her silk panties and having her wrap her legs around him---her heated core wet and molten against his throbbing arousal. Him feeling Tom's wiry limbs surround him as the younger man's long fingers, slick with oil, came exploring into the cleft of his ass, sliding inside, making him moan and writhe with the intense stimulation. She opening her legs for him and him blissfully sinking into her welcome heat, groaning with abandon at her exquisite tightness, as she threw back her head with a sigh. Tom twisting his long digits inside his passage, readying him for his hard throbbing cock, and then entering him in one sudden smooth slide---filling him to the brim.

Tom, Tom, Tom, his mind whimpered, and the same prayer came out of his lips, as he felt himself locked between the two tight embraces---Tom's erection a burning rod inside him, keeping him captive, keeping Seven pinned under their weights.

He heard Seven moaning under him and kissed her face, her lips, her neck. "Oh Seven," he sighed as he felt her shaking under him, her chest heaving with the effort.

Tom's arms surrounded his frame protectively. "God, Chak," the younger man groaned, "you feel so good," he said, rocking his hips against his ass, his body slick with sweat against Chakotay's back.

"Move, Tom," Chakotay groaned, feeling Seven trembling beneath him.

And Tom's fingers closed around his hips as Chakotay slowly felt him pull out of his passage, and he followed the movement, carefully pulling out of Seven, until only the head of his cock was latched inside her. He, then, gingerly slid back in, shuddering with want, hearing her cry out with need, and groaned, as once more, Tom completed the circuit, filling him yet again.

Slowly, a pattern formed between the three of them---Tom sliding out of Chakotay, Chakotay sliding out of Seven, and then sliding back into her, kissing her lips, swallowing her moans into his mouth---as Tom slammed back at him, sinking his flesh inside him. Suddenly, Chakotay felt a lightening bolt strike his core, as he felt Tom's cock graze his prostate, making his head spin.

He found himself panting into Seven's neck, groaning with need, as Tom rocked his hips again and again, stimulating Chakotay's prostate repeatedly.

"Please, Tom..." he sobbed.

And then he felt Seven tighten her arms around him as she slid back into the satin sheets, sliding off his cock and then thrust back in, reseating herself onto his hardness, her passage tight and wet around him. He moaned when he felt Tom pinch at his hips, pulling out of him, and then slammed back into him as well. His mind reeling, his vision shimmering, his breath shuddering, he felt his two blonde beauties rage against him over and over---their fingers scraping against his body, their teeth sharp against his flesh.

His senses on overload, his hardness clasped in her tight embrace, Chakotay grabbed Seven's arms as he pushed her into the bed and slammed inside her, hearing her cry out. Over and over he pulled out and then thrust back in with a force that had been missing previously, his body primed and throbbing for release, her arms tight around him. And when he felt Tom's hard body slam back into him one more time, his long cock once again hitting his prostate unerringly, he cried out as stars streaked his suddenly darkening vision.

His body shuddered as he thrust back into Seven one last time and felt her passage tightening around him, a long cry escaping her throat, and felt himself jetting his release inside her body, bellowing in abandon. As he collapsed beside Seven, Chakotay was dimly aware of Tom slamming into his body, crying out behind him as he felt himself filled with hot spurts of sperm, before the younger man too collapsed next to him.

Chakotay had no memory of how he was transferred between the cool satin sheets, had no idea how he was gently rubbed clean and by whom. All he was aware of was the two bodies wrapped lovingly around him, of the two pairs of arms sliding across his body, caressing his skin, of the two pairs of lips kissing his face and neck and chest and shoulders.

His nerves humming with pleasure---that was all he remembered as he was gently lulled and soothed and calmed.

Thus, with his arms around his two lovers, Chakotay slowly slid into dreamland.

 

 

**_Six hours later in Shuttlebay Two_ **

  

Life was a joyous thing to have.

The Goddess had bestowed her blessings down on the good U'leadians, and the delightful friends they'd made, with her utmost kindness.

Growgon gathered his robes together and casually surveyed the territory, making sure he wasn't making too blatant a transgression in these people's privacy. He just wanted to make sure everyone was all right.

Things had proceeded much better than he would've expected. These humans, and their assorted alien comrades, it appeared, were the most engagingly passionate and lustful species that the U'leadians had ever encountered. They'd taken the gift of the love scent with complete abandon, and as a result, everywhere he looked he encountered sexually satiated and blissfully content groups of people.

Growgon thought he'd definitely have to remember to congratulate the intriguing Captain Janeway for having such a gloriously responsive crew, and of course, for herself finding such an irresistible companion in her hour of feverish need.

He nodded, smiling happily. Yes, things had proceeded very well indeed.

He looked fondly at Jah'rel, his beloved mate, and then gestured to the remaining members of his delegation. He watched as Jah'rel notified the lead ship to begin the transport sequence, and he along with the rest of the U'leadian delegation were swiftly winked off Voyager.

**********


	4. Chapter 4

**Entangled, Chapter 4**

 

 

He came back to complete wakefulness slowly.

The first thing he registered was peace. Utter and complete. His mind at rest, his heart content, Chakotay felt his whole being saturated in a happiness that was more intense and sure than anything he'd ever known before.

The next thing he felt was the slide of gentle hands over his skin. The unending caressing brush of hands... over his stomach, his legs, his arms, his shoulders. The tenderness of the act made him sigh with contentment, his eyelids fluttering open.

And that was when he saw the beautiful sight of his two blondes, propped up on their arms on either of his side, looking down at him expectantly. His eyes shifting from one pair of dazzling blue eyes to the next, he felt a smile form at the corner of his lips.

"Hey," he said, his heart filling with sudden irrepressible warmth.

"Hey..." Tom said, his eyes smiling, as he bent down to kiss Chakotay's shoulder.

Chakotay smiled, planting an answering peck on his nose. "How long... have you two been up?"

"A while." Seven looked into his eyes, as he turned to her, noticing an expression on her face he couldn't quiet recognize.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, one hand reaching out to enfold hers, the other moving up to touch her face. She felt warm to his touch, soft and warm.

"More than okay." Her eyes were glittering with an emotion that suddenly he could name, anticipation, as she reached out with her free hand to run her fingers through his hair. "I've never felt better," she said, her voice throaty, her cheeks suddenly reddening as her eyes shyly shifted to their linked hands.

He gently tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes, feeling a protectiveness invade his senses. "Yeah?" he asked, his voice soft.

"Yeah." She said, a beautiful smile forming on her face.

He smiled. "Glad to hear that."

He held her close for a moment, his lips moving along the side of her face, her arms tightening around him, her body wonderfully soft and limber against him. Then, with a sigh, he pulled back and stared at her, and with a smile she unwound her arms from around him, rolling to his side.

He turned to Tom, noticing the younger man staring at him intently, a half-smile on the wide pink lips, his skin alluringly flushed.

"Come here you." He growled as he pulled Tom to him. He felt the strong arms lock around his waist, and kissed Tom's mouth, letting his hands run down his long back, flowing over his pert ass, gently squeezing. He felt Tom nuzzle his neck, and arched, sighing, as he felt the long tongue sliding along his throat---feeling a few twinges in parts of his body that hadn't gotten the kind of action he'd gotten last night in many years.

"How're you feeling?" Tom murmured, looking up at him, his eyes staring deeply into his.

Chakotay smoothed his back reassuringly. "Great." He smiled.

"Good."

For a moment he thought he saw something glimmering in Tom's eyes, a hesitation of some sort, an uncertainty perhaps.

"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling his brows drawing together.

"Nothing." Tom said quickly, bending his neck to nuzzle Chakotay's neck again, his hands spanning Chakotay's waist. "Mmm. You feel good." Tom whispered. Chakotay felt Seven press closer to him from the other side as well.

"So do you." He said, hugging them both. "Both of you."

They stayed that way for a while, legs entangling, arms around each other, their breathings rapid and not quite matching in rhythm. Chakotay felt a strange anxiousness fill him.

"Chak." Tom murmured.

His fingers skimmed through the younger man's soft blonde hair. "Yeah?"

Tom suddenly looked up and into his eyes, his blue eyes filled with a strange hint of despair. "We have... something to tell you."

Chakotay found himself frowning at Tom's concern. "About what?" Where had that concern, that strange consternation, come from?

"About..." He saw Tom gulp. "All of this."

Chakotay stared at him. "This?"

What was going on?

"Yeah." Tom sighed. "You. Us. Together."

"What about it?" Chakotay asked.

He saw Tom shift his blue eyes to look at Seven and saw a grave expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Chakotay asked, his voice rising, his heart suddenly starting to beat very, very fast.

"It's about..." Tom bit his lower lip. "...how it all began."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," Tom frowned, his eyes shimmering. "We want you to listen to this with an open mind and not get upset okay? Because how it began has no bearing on what it led to, you understand?"

Upset at what? What had they done?

"Go on." He instructed.

"No." Tom shook his head, suddenly leaning back to sit up. "Not unless you promise you won't get mad."

Chakotay's tone had gone flat. "I am listening."

"Chak." Tom protested.

"Tell me, Tom." Chakotay growled. "Now."

"Seven." Tom turned to her, his eyes anguished.

"We've already begun." There was a quiver in her voice as she replied. "We might as well as finish."

"Tell me, Tom." He looked hard at him.

"It was..." Tom turned to him, his face conflicted. "It was..." he gulped, "what I mean to say is... it basically started with a silly stupid bet."

Chakotay had gone still, as he stared at Tom unblinkingly. "A bet."

"Yeah." Tom scowled. "A bet that probably wouldn't have happened at all if Harry hadn't been so adamant."

"Harry." He felt his breath caught in his throat.

"Yeah." Tom looked at him. "Harry and his stupid theory that you and the captain had something going on."

"Me and the captain." He stared at Tom incredulously.

"Yeah. I mean how crazy is that." Tom jerked his arm, his gestures shaky. "You and the captain. That's ridiculous, isn't it? But Harry wouldn't listen at all. Even when B'Elanna tore his theory to shreds. You know how B'Elanna can be, right? Fiercely protective of you. And then Neelix came in and said he agreed with Harry and that he could prove that theory. That's when we made the bet that we would prove him wrong."

Chakotay felt his chest suddenly tightening with an infusion of helpless pain and incredulous hurt. A bet? It had been a bet?

"Prove him wrong." He felt his teeth grit.

"Yeah."

"By seducing me." Chakotay struggled to control his breathing, but found his heart constricting in his chest, making his breath choke in his throat.

He knew whatever had been on his face had been noticed by his audience ---he felt like snorting, a fool for his audience indeed--- when he saw Tom look at him with a pained expression. "Chakotay."

Ah. An audience that could beat the performer with their own skills of pretension.

"So it was all a bet." He felt his nostrils flaring.

"Chakotay." Tom repeated, his voice louder, his chest heaving, as he reached out to clasp Chakotay's left bicep.

"Last night was part of the bet." Chakotay jerked his arm out of his grip, no longer caring that his anger, his pain, his hurt and disgust was plainly visible on his face.

"No, that's not it." Tom shook his head, his voice shaking.

"So you won the bet." Chakotay chewed out each word. "You've got proof that I am not interested in the captain at all. Congratulations." He growled as he slid off the bed, standing up. "I hope it makes you feel good, Tom." He grated out. His eyes raked the floor for his clothes. Wretched silk, that he no longer wished to wear.

"Chakotay, stop." The younger man followed him, trying to grab his arm again.

"Don't." He snapped, jerking out of Tom's reach.

"No," Tom jumped in front of him. "You don't understand."

"Don't I?" He felt his eyes filling and hated himself for it. "What is there not to understand? You just told me that you and Seven made a bet about seducing me." He felt his mouth thin with distaste. "Please enlighten me where I am confused?" He snapped, his whole body shaking with pain.

 

 

Tom felt his gut filled with a grief that felt as if it would drown out all his senses.

The one thing they had not wanted to happen, had happened. Chakotay now thought all of it had been a game. That they'd intentionally set out to hurt him. He saw the hurt shimmering in the older man's dark eyes and felt his throat tighten. This was not what he'd wanted. Never, not in a million years.

He saw Chakotay make to move around him and hurried after him.

"No, stop." He cried. "You can't do this." He grabbed Chakotay's shoulder, yanking him around, tightening his arms around Chakotay's wide shoulders.

No. They couldn't let him go, Tom thought with despair. Because if Chakotay walked out of the holodeck right now, he'd never listen to them again. Never.

"Let me go, Tom." Chakotay grated, his voice rough, trying to pull out of Tom's grip to no avail, his chest heaving against the blonde.

"Shhh." Tom hugged him tighter, his voice hoarse as he fought to keep the struggling man in place, his arms holding Chakotay in a death grip. "You've got it all wrong, Chak." He groaned. "Please listen to me."

"Listen to what!!!???" He felt Chakotay pinching his arms between strong fingers, his touch painful as he struggled to throw him off. "That you made a fool out of me because you wanted to win a bet? Just let me go, Tom."

"No." Tom jerked Chakotay back and looked into his eyes. "Don't you get it?" He felt his senses swamped with pain at seeing the twinge of what he knew was repugnance in Chakotay's eyes. "We didn't tell you all this right now because we played it like a bet, Chak..." he choked, feeling a helplessness inundate him. "We told you all this because it had stopped being a bet a long time ago."

He saw a new expression, something he couldn't quite decipher, flit across the intensely drawn features, as if something had made an impression in Chakotay's mind, but Chakotay shook his head again---a frown forming on his face.

"You said it was a bet." Chakotay grated.

"No," Tom cried. "I said it had begun as a bet. I told you that. I asked you to please listen to this with an open mind. I asked you not to get mad at us," he wailed.

Chakotay had gone absolutely still. He stared at... something on Tom's face, he didn't know what, with an almost amazed look in his eyes. Tom was suddenly startled to see him reach out and touch Tom's cheek. He blinked to feel Chakotay's index finger skim under his left eye and realized his face was wet.

"Why..." Chakotay gulped, whispering. "Why are you crying, Tom?" he sounded awed, dazed. "If this was just a game, then why the tears?"

"Because its not a game." He heard Seven's words drift into his consciousness, as he felt Chakotay cup his cheek for a moment, before the older man dropped his hand and turned to face her.

 

 

She had known it would be difficult to make Chakotay understand their intentions. She and Tom had decided to come clean with the commander as soon as he woke up this morning. They knew it would be a hard task for either one of them. The steps they had taken to come close to him had been unconventional, inventive, and probably unprofessional on a vessel following a command hierarchy like Voyager.

They had opened a proverbial Pandora's box when they'd taken the task of seducing Chakotay on their friends' dare. She had realized from the start that the process would be complex and imposing, much as the man himself.

What she had not anticipated was the entangling of emotions she had never felt before in her life as an individual, which had resulted as a consequence of this transpiration. She had never before felt the joy her joining with Chakotay had filled her with. The fact that Chakotay now misjudged their intentions altogether, only looking at the initial string of events in the overall course of this mishap, made her throat tighten with pain.

As Borg, she would've scoffed at this pain, at this sadness that infused her, but as an individual, his distrust stung at the core of her being.

It hurt. Badly.

"You think it's a game." She stared at the dark-haired man standing before her, his eyes filled with a peculiar combination of sorrow, confusion and disbelief. "You think we played a game with you."

A fresh surge of pain engulfed her.

"You think..." She found herself choking, "you think I offered myself to you as part of a game." She saw his eyes widen at her words, and continued---realizing she had to get it all out, had to make him understand how she felt. She found herself making her way awkwardly through emotions she'd never encountered before. "I've never gone through the kind of experience... I allowed myself to go through with you last night. You think that was part of a premeditated attempt at... hurting you."

She saw his dark brows drawn together, his expression bewildered. "Do you also think," she said, "...that the actions of last night... were coordinated by the cold, mechanical mind of a Borg Drone," her tone was scathing at this, "and not a flesh and blood human being..." She stared into his eyes, her chest suddenly feeling too tight. "...a human being capable of feeling... emotion?"

His face suddenly twisted in pain. "No." He shook his head, and what looked like regret filled his eyes, as he stepped up to her and before she could react, wrapped her in his arms. "No, Seven." He grated as he hugged her to him tightly, his heart hammering next to hers. "Spirits, no."

"Do you think Tom did it because it was a game to him?" she asked him, winding her arms around him, her breath ragged. "You think we went through this whole exercise of... seducing you... of making love to you, because it was a game to us."

Chakotay's arms were secure around her as he pulled back and looked into her eyes, and she saw realization dawn into his own. "Seven," he whispered, his voice filled with awe, as he bent his head to kiss the bridge of her nose, then her mouth. Then she felt him sigh as he, keeping her in his arms, half-turned to look at Tom, and then offered the younger man his outstretched hand.

The three of them came together in an embrace. She felt Chakotay's full soft lips dragging along her face, kissing her mouth, and then felt him turning his head to kiss Tom, his arms tightening around them both, his breath ragged but his heart somehow beating in tandem with theirs.

He pulled back to stare first into Seven's eyes, and then Tom's.

"Not a game?" he breathed.

"No." Seven kissed his chin. "Not a game."

He sighed. "Not a bet."

Tom's arms squeezed around them both. "It was a bet..." he murmured. "But not for long."

Holding both their hands in his, Chakotay looked at them, and then stepping back sat down on the bed, pulling them down along with him.

"Tell me about it all." Chakotay's eyes were serious as he looked into their eyes.

Tom frowned. "I did tell you."

Chakotay smiled. "Tell me again." His finger reached out to tweak the hairs on Tom's chest and Seven saw a mischievous smile on his lips as Tom's breathing sped up. "This time, without the guilt routine." He patted Tom's chest reassuringly as he looked at them both. "It started with Harry?"

Tom sighed. "I told you it was silly."

"Ensign Kim started the discussion, conjecturing that you were in love with the captain," Seven said, "but it was Neelix who took it seriously."

Chakotay shook his head, amazed. "And then?"

"And then, B'Elanna dared us both on the challenge." Tom pouted. "I don't think she realized at first that we'd actually go for it. She was just kidding."

"B'Elanna?" Chakotay looked surprised. "She pushed you?"

"Don't be mad at her," Tom looked at him. "We did after all choose to take up the dare ourselves." His blue eyes looked into Chakotay's. "For some... inexplicable reason, I couldn't stand the thought of Neelix proving Harry right."

"Neither could I." Seven sighed. "I didn't understand why the thought was... unpleasant to me."

"You know, I still can't quite believe all this." He stared at them, biting his lower lip in consternation.

"What?" Seven asked, feeling a frown form between her brows.

"That..." he looked into her eyes, shaking her head in amazement, and then turned to Tom. "That... both of you... both of you could want me."

"We do want you." Tom stroked his back.

Seven looked at him as a new concern filled her heart. "You don't disapprove, do you?"

"Disapprove." Chakotay looked at her and then chuckled. "Hell, no." He leaned down to kiss her hard, and then leaned back to catch her eyes. "I am amazed," he whispered. He turned to look at Tom and pulled him close as well. "Astonished," he added and smiled. "I feel honored... that you want me. Like this." And then he looked solemnly at them both. "But you have to be absolutely sure about this... because you're both very, very close to becoming my heart and my soul." His eyes were earnest. "And when that happens, I'll never want to let you go."

With a smile on both their faces, they snuggled close to him. Seven felt a lightness fill her.

"I am sure," she told him.

"So am I." Tom sighed.

For a while, they stayed like this, locked together in yet another embrace, their hands soothing on his skin, his fingers running down their lengths reassuringly.

And then Chakotay snorted. "We're not gonna start this again, are we?" There was a smile in his voice.

"Well," Tom drawled, kissing Chakotay's cheek. "We could."

"Oh no," Chakotay groaned. "Isn't there a bathroom around here somewhere."

"A bathroom?" Tom smiled. "Gee, what in God's name for?"

"There's such a thing called a 'shower'." Chakotay jumped up from the bed and turned around to face them.

"A shower." Seven frowned up at him. "I do not understand the concept."

Chakotay stared at her. "Seven?"

"Lieutenant Paris," Seven turned to Tom and saw a knowing smile fighting to emerge on his face, knew that a mirroring expression craved to appear on her own face. "Explain this 'shower'."

"Shower, Seven." Tom looked into her eyes, his lips quirking. "A plumbing fixture that sprays water down on you, as you stand under the nozzle, for the purpose of cleaning."

She lifted a brow. "Crude, but efficient." Then she looked up at Chakotay, and smiled. "Unfortunately, in the Collective, one had no need for such luxuries."

His eyes twinkling, he shook his head at them, and a beautiful dimpled smile appeared on his face.

"A Borg with a sense of humor," he said, bending down to fondly touch her cheek with his finger. "Just what I need."

 

 

**_A few hours later in Cargobay Two_ **

****

 Chakotay stared at Voyager's Chief Tactical Officer with what he felt was pure, unfettered stupefaction.

Pheromones. Voyager's ventilation system had been flooded with alien pheromones.

"The effect was, as I am sure you are beginning to realize, quite extreme." Tuvok said dispassionately, the one rising dark brow the only indication of his non-emotion. "Ship wide, inter-species mating occurred between crew members of all ages, races and genders. In some cases, the combinations proved to be... rather violent in nature, causing damage, which in most cases remained minor, to ship facilities."

"What kind of damage?" Chakotay frowned.

"The messhall suffered some damage," Tuvok began, "As all the tables were pulled out from their clamps and brought out in the corridor, only to be arranged in a long line which reached all the way to turbolift 3."

"Whatever for?" Chakotay asked.

"Apparently," Tuvok looked at him. "Crewman Doyle was trying to impress Crewman Delaney with his skills at creating the longest bed on the ship."

"Which Delaney?" It was Tom, who'd been standing on the other side of the cargobay, helping Seven fix one of the Borg alcoves which had been damaged last night.

Chakotay looked at his lover, who was now dressed in his uniform, with Seven back in her blue regenerative outfit, and saw an anxious look in his blue eyes, before the eyes shifted away.

Pheromones?

"I didn't have time to check." Tuvok replied, and Chakotay thought his tone sounded a little sheepish---if Vulcans were capable of that, that is.

Chakotay shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "What else?"

"The outer viewports on Observation Lounge 4, on Deck 5, were obliterated with an exceptionally high-frequency setting of a phaser rifle. Fortunately, the emergency shielding came on before any serious damage to anything or anyone could occur."

"Spirits." Chakotay felt bewilderment fill him. "Who did that?"

"We do not know as yet." Tuvok said. "When we reached there, the room was abandoned. We haven't had chance to run a DNA analysis on the surrounding area as yet." He looked at Chakotay closely. "At the moment, I am short on security personnel, as according to the EMH, most of those who were affected will be indisposed for at least another twelve hours."

That was when the realization dawned on him. "I am sorry, Tuvok." Chakotay looked at his crewmate apologetically. "It almost slipped my mind. How are you?"

"No need to apologize, Commander." Tuvok tilted his head. "I am fine. The pheromones apparently had no affect on Vulcan physiology."

"Thank God." Chakotay sighed with relief.

"Although, I too was locked up inside my quarters as someone, in an apparent fit of frenzy, and with a security clearance higher than my own, ran an algorithm which locked all exits on the ship for a duration of twelve hours."

Chakotay nodded. He already knew this. Him, Tom and Seven too had found the holodeck exit locked and not responding to their commands, when they'd attempted to come out this morning. The comm system disabled by some other engineering genius's diligence, they had to wait for Tuvok's rag tag team to rescue them from the holodeck.

And then he frowned. Someone higher than Tuvok's security clearance. That was either himself or Janeway. And he knew it wasn't himself.

"The captain?" He looked at the Vulcan.

"Correct." Tuvok replied.

"How is she?" Chakotay frowned.

"Indisposed at the moment," Tuvok said. "But she's been treated by the Doctor, and will recover fully."

"Has she been briefed about all this?"

"She has," Tuvok replied. "Although, in her current state, she's not concerned about U'leadian sex pheromones."

Chakotay found his eyes shifting to the tense figures of Seven and Tom and tried to control his breathing.

It was pheromones, Tuvok had said. Everything that had happened had to do with the effect the chemical compounds had on the hypothalamus, the center of the humanoid brain that controlled emotions.

Everything?---his mind was reeling.

"Sickbay to Commander Chakotay." The EMH's voice came over the comm.

He punched his badge, his eyes fixed on his lovers. "Chakotay here."

"Please report to sickbay, along with your... companions, for an examination."

"On our way." He replied and punched the comm close. "Chakotay out."

He saw Tom and Seven staring at him and nodded to them.

"Let's go."

 

 

Tom was sure it was a joke. It had to be.

Pheromones, my foot, he felt like yelling. What he and Seven had experienced with Chakotay had nothing to do with any fucking alien pheromones. The mere thought of it was ridiculous. For heaven's sake, they'd been seducing the big guy for the past one and a half weeks.

As the three of them approached the sickbay's entrance, he felt an inexplicable turmoil fill his bones.

"Chak..." he said, as he skidded to a halt right outside the entrance. "What the hell are we doing here?"

"Tom." Chakotay grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. "We have to find out, okay?" And Tom realized his brown eyes were filled with the same turmoil he felt in his soul. Chakotay linked his fingers through his hand and turned to hold Seven's hand with the other. "It'll be okay." He looked at her. "We just have to find out."

She nodded.

With a deep breath, their hands linked together, the three of them stepped inside the sickbay.

And stopped in their tracks. The sickbay wasn't empty. Harry and B'Elanna were already being treated by the EMH.

Tom felt his mouth drop open at the spectacle in front of him.

"Harry," he breathed, his eyes widening at the large bite mark on Harry's cheek. "What happened to your...?"

He stopped when he saw the smug look on B'Elanna's face.

"Why, Flyboy?" her grin was feral. "What do you think happened to Harry's face?"

He could only manage a snort in answer.

The EMH cleared his throat. "As you can see, the pheromones' effects were quite violent in some cases." The hologram ran the regenerator over Harry's wound. "Although, there's no need for concern. Ensign Kim suffered no major damage. All his body parts have been accounted for, which, I must admit, is a major feat, considering who placed that bite mark on his face."

He heard Chakotay's deep chuckle at his side, as B'Elanna growled at the Doctor, her hold on Harry's arm possessive. Tom shook his head.

"Don't worry, Tom," Harry smiled. "It's not as bad as it seems."

Tom was surprised to see a blush on his friend's face, and then felt a happy smile spread on his own face, as Harry bent down to kiss the half-Klingon softly.

He sighed. It seemed things had gone well for others too.

The EMH cleared his throat again. "If you two will please get out of my sickbay," He looked sternly Harry and B'Elanna. "I have other patients to attend to."

The two grumbled as they hopped off the bio-bed and walked to the other side of the sickbay, and the EMH turned to him, Chakotay, and Seven.

He flicked his tricorder open and pointed it to Chakotay. They heard the occasional beeps as the instrument scanned him. "Hmm," the Doctor said. "No major damage." His brow lifted in observation as he clicked on a button or two. "Although, there's some minor wear and tear in some..." the EMH's eyes flicked over to Chakotay's face. "rather... delicate places."

Tom saw Chakotay's face redden as the brown eyes jumped to his face, and felt his own face heat at the intense expression in the older man's eyes. Tom smiled at him reassuringly, his breath a little uneven.

"Hmm." They saw the EMH frown. "That's strange."

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, feeling his breathing quicken.

The Doctor turned the tricorder in his hand off and picked up a fresh one from his instruments. He clicked on a few more buttons, scanning Chakotay again, and then shook his head. "Very strange."

"What is it?" Chakotay asked him.

"Your hypothalamus is clearly showing signs of stimulation," the EMH looked up at him. "But there is no evidence of the U'leadian chemicals inside your body."

Tom blinked. "No pheromones?"

The EMH ran another quick scan, and shook his head. "None, whatsoever." He looked at Tom and Seven. "Let me run a scan on you."

The tricorder was pointed at Tom next, and then Seven, but with the same result.

"There's no sign of the pheromones in your body." The EMH frowned. "All three of you are free of it completely."

"Could the chemicals have been dissolved somehow?" Seven asked.

"That's impossible." The EMH replied. "I would still be able to detect traces of it in the scan. I don't understand how this could've happened. Every single member of this crew was affected by the chemicals, including the Vulcans, even if it didn't effect their physiology like everyone else."

"Doctor," Chakotay frowned. "The pheromones were dispersed through the ventilation system, weren't they?"

"That's right."

"Then where we were located would have an effect on whether the ventilation system dispersed them to us or not, right?"

"Holodeck 2." Seven whispered.

The EMH's eyebrow shot up at this. He hurriedly accessed a computer terminal, the three of them joining him at his side. The truth was apparent after only a few seconds of digging.

"There you go." The EMH announced. "The ventilation system in holodeck 2 was blocked last night due to an engineering fault. The ducts never opened there." He looked up, pleased with his discovery. "The pheromones never reached you, because they had no way to get there. That's why there's no sign of them in your bodies. Mystery solved."

Tom felt a smile spread on his face.

"No pheromones?" B'Elanna amused voice came to his ear, and he realized Harry and her were still hovering around. "Hell, you could've asked me it was no pheromones. These two didn't need alien pheromones to seduce Chakotay." She laughed.

He looked up into Chakotay's eyes, startled at her open remark, and saw only warmth in those beautiful brown eyes. His eyes moved to Seven and saw amusement on her face as well. He started laughing, his relief profound, when Chakotay chuckled at him.

"No pheromones." Chakotay smiled, his eyes twinkling.

And then he reached over and pulled Tom and Seven close to him, hugging them warmly.

"Apparently not." He heard Seven say, and her voice was rich with happiness.

 

 

**_Six hours later in Shuttlebay Two_ **

 

 In the messhall again.

Life was more or less back to normal for the valiant crew of the good Federation starship Voyager.

It was twelve hours later, since the U'leadian pheromones incident had occurred. Four hours since Voyager had crossed the U'leadian territory---with the captain giving permission to get the heck out of here from her quarters, apparently still working off the effects of her over stimulated hypothalamus in seclusion.

And already sensors had detected six subspace spatial ruptures, three radiation spewing nebulae, five class A gas supergiants, and four separate welcoming hails from starships representing four different races.

Life was indeed an intriguing mixture of endlessly fascinating revelations and amazing new explorations to take pleasure in.

However there were stranger experiences to behold still.

"A respiratory subroutine?" Tom gawked. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I am serious." Harry screwed his nose. "The Doc said it wasn't fair that he was deprived of all the fun and frolic the U'leadian pheromones caused us to have, so he's demanding respiratory subroutines to be programmed and downloaded into his matrix."

"I know what to download into his matrix." B'Elanna scowled. "A shut-up-and-quietly-do-your-fucking-job subroutine, and then I'll give him a kick up his ass to get him started."

"The Doctor believes himself to be a sentient being." Seven lifted a brow and looked at her friends. "He wants to pursue this line of theory, regardless of how irrelevant it may be."

"Maybe he needs more than just a kick." B'Elanna narrowed her eyes.

"Relax, Maquis," Harry Kim cooed at his new lover. "The Doc is just sensitive about his rights as a hologram. He doesn't mean any harm."

"His goddamned holographic rights caused half the holo-emitters on Deck 5 to blow up," B'Elanna growled. "That too at a time when I am short on engineering staff."

"Calm down, B'Elanna." Chakotay looked at his friend reassuringly, offering her his glass of cool water---which she grabbed and chugged down in one go. "The roster will be full soon enough. The Doctor said since there are to be no permanent side-effects from the pheromones, the whole crew will be back to normal in no time."

"Well, that looks permanent enough to me," Tom drawled, one hand waving to the room around them.

And he had a point. All around them, couples and multiples sat, mingling, holding hands, glowing with loving warmth for their newly acquired mates---as they either looked into each other's eyes with affection, or displayed that affection physically by necking with each other on the sofas placed in front of the viewports.

However, the severity of the pheromones effect varied from individual to individual.

According to the EMH's report, the most sexually active of the crew seemed to be the least affected by the pheromones. As Tuvok would certainly vouch, the most violent and possessive couplings had occurred between the ones who'd been the most deprived previously.

So yes, life was indeed full of surprises for the valiant crew of Voyager.

Nonetheless, nothing could've been more startling than the momentous sight of Voyager's gallant captain Kathryn Janeway... walking into the messhall, arm in arm with Voyager's cook/morale officer, the Talaxian, Neelix. A large glowing smile on her face, she talked loudly in her husky voice, gesticulating in her usual carefree manner, radiating complete and utter satiation, whereas Neelix waved happily at the whole crew, undoubtedly very pleased with the situation as well. And then, in front of God and the whole crew, the captain took the furry Talaxian in her arms and proceeded to tongue-kiss him with unmatched abandon.

A hush fell in the messhall at this display, as their kiss went on and on and on for several long moments. And then as if not noticing anything amiss, the captain and Neelix finally separated with one last sucking kiss, and taking her hand in his, he walked her to her designated table in the corner and sat her down. Then smiling happily, he walked to the first officer's table.

"Tom, Seven, how are you?" He beamed at the five stunned occupants of the table. "Forgive me, Commander, but I must congratulate Tom and Seven at proving their point after all." His eyes were glittering with warmth. "I am happy to accede that indeed Kathryn is not in love with you."

"NEELIX," the captain yelled from her table. "WHERE'S MY COFFEE?"

"Coming, my sweet precious darling." Neelix waved at her, and then without looking back, ran to the replicator.

As they recovered, Tom, Seven, Harry and B'Elanna's attention returned to their table to the sight of Chakotay's face covered with his hands, as he set his head down on the table, his shoulders trembling with what looked like... grief?

"Chak?" Tom squeaked, his eyes widening, as he grabbed Chakotay's shoulder, shaking hard.

"What is wrong?" Seven's voice quivered, as she gripped one of Chakotay's hands, attempting to pry it off his face.

Had they been wrong? Had Chakotay really been interested in the captain? Was he now so racked with grief that... he was going to cry?

Feeling desperate, and aided by sexually stimulated half-Klingon strength, Tom and Seven yanked Chakotay's hands off his face and stopped in shock.

Chakotay was laughing, his whole body shaking with mirth, as tears of... amusement? ran down his face.

"Um, Chak," Tom quirked a brow. "You think... its funny?"

"What..." Chakotay began, his laughter uncontrollable, "What was..." he shook his head in amazed amusement, his breath hitching as the tears continued to flow. "What was the bet about, again?"

For a moment, they stared at him in skepticism. And then B'Elanna started laughing, her eyes glittering. Harry followed her with a shake of his head. Then Tom, with an amused snort, and finally Seven, with a large smile, joined in, recognizing the humor of the situation.

"That was not what he set out to prove." Harry said, looking at B'Elanna.

"You're wrong, Starfleet." She smiled at him. "He did say the captain will come out of this happier than she's ever been."

Chakotay, regaining his composure, felt his two blonde's attention on him. He looked into their eyes, smiling tenderly, as they each took a hand of his in theirs.

"The efficiency of this crew will no longer be hampered," Seven said, smiling at the two men.

"Hey, guys," Tom had a mischievous look in his eyes as he looked at Chakotay and Seven, and leaning close to them, whispered. "Have you two ever seen a Terrelian moonrise?"

"Nope, I haven't." Chakotay smiled, a dimple appearing on his cheek.

"I have not either." Seven replied, her eyes bright with intrigue, her one brow rising in curiosity. "Have you a holodeck program in mind?"

"Oh yeah, I have just the thing in mind." Tom smiled, his eyes blinking seductively. "The nights there are breathtaking. I think the simulation with the six moons will be perfect."

And with that promise made, Tom, Seven and Chakotay, their two friends, and in fact, the rest of the crew, realized it was time for them to take this incident in stride as well, and move on to the next set of new experiences that were undoubtedly waiting for them around the corner.

After all, such was life in the Delta Quadrant, for the valiant crew of the good Federation starship Voyager.

 

**The End**


End file.
